SKT-led K-UAM Dream Team partners with Gyeongbuk on urban air mobility

[Courtesy of SK telecom]

South Korea’s ‘K-UAM Dream Team’ consortium, which involves SK telecom Co., Korea Airports Corp., Hanwha Systems Co., and Tmap Mobility Co., announced on Wednesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gyeongbuk Province to cooperate on urban air mobility (UAM) projects.

The Dream Team and the province will collaborate to develop urban air traffic service models, including for transportation, public services, and tourism, in alignment with the enforcement of the ‘Act on Promotion and Support of Urban Air Traffic Utilization’ in April 2024. They will also work on discovering dedicated routes and building vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) pads, or vertiports.

Both sides also agreed to take the lead in creating a regional urban air transportation ecosystem by developing a plan for mutual growth and cooperation with local companies in the region and fostering professional manpower.

To this end, SK telecom will be responsible for operating a comprehensive urban air traffic service, including building a dedicated aerial communication network and introducing aircraft, while Tmap Mobility will focus on developing and operating a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that integrates urban air traffic with ground transportation.

Korea Airports Corp. will be in charge of constructing vertiports and providing traffic management services using navigational infrastructure. Hanwha Systems will handle the development, operation, manufacturing, and maintenance (MRO) of aircraft for urban air transportation, as well as the supply and service of urban air transportation traffic management solutions.

Gyeongbuk Province will actively support the consortium by securing infrastructure such as operation sites and facilities and provide administrative support for the projects. It will also support all aspects of connecting urban air traffic and ground transportation and strive to ensure local community acceptance for the project.

The Dream Team will verify operations according to its flight scenarios using an aircraft produced by U.S. aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation, Inc. in the first stage of the Korean Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge (K-UAM Grand Challenge), which will be held at the National Comprehensive Flight Performance Test Center in Goheung, Jeonnam Province next year.

Earlier, SK telecom secured the exclusive rights to use the Joby aircraft in the Korean market through an equity investment of $100 million in Joby Aviation and signed a cooperation agreement for UAM demonstration projects and commercialization at the end of October.

Since last year, the Dream Team has also signed a series of UAM-related business agreements with Jeju, Daegu, Gyeongnam Province, Daejeon, Sejong, Chungbuk Province, and Chungnam Province.

“This agreement is an opportunity to explore the diversification of urban air traffic operations in areas such as public services, tourism, and wide-area passenger transportation,” Shin Yong-sik, vice president at SK telecom, said. “We will bring improvements to the quality of life for people in Gyeongbuk Province and innovation to the region’s transportation system based on safe services and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.”