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Press Release
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SKT Wins GSMA Global Mobile Awards 20232023.03.01
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced that it received two awards at the 2023 GSMA Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO Awards) in the categories of ‘Best Mobile Innovation for Cities’ and ‘Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion.’ The GLOMO Awards, chaired by Shaun Collins, Executive Chairman of CCS Insight, are adjudicated by over 200 independent industry experts, analysts, journalists, academics, mobile operator representatives, and CTOs; and are widely recognized as the most prestigious accolade in the mobile industry. SKT claimed the ‘Best Mobile Innovation for Cities’ for its Location Intelligent Solution, ‘LITMUS.’ The award honors the best mobile, digital and 5G innovations that help resolve various urban challenges in the areas of citizen services, transportation, environmental protection, security, and more. ‘LITMUS’ has been introduced to cities to drive down social costs and alleviate GHG emissions by analyzing users’ de-identified location data. Built with big data and AI technologies, this innovative solution reduces traffic congestion by supplying real-time traffic volume to both the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) and smart interchange system. It also helps prevent accidents at road intersections by linking people’s real-time location information to traffic light data. By applying LITMUS to diverse city projects set up to solve traffic, environment, and safety issues, the company created social value worth KRW 40 billion in 2022. Together with barrier-free smart city platform LBStech and AI semiconductor chip developer SAPEON Korea, SKT also took home the ‘Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion’ award for its ‘G-EYE PLUS Powered by Visual Localization and Mapping Technology (VLAM).’ This achievement underlines the importance of universal design innovations in mobile products, applications, services, devices, initiatives and projects, as they take inclusivity to a whole new level. As the world’s first VLAM-based high-precision location-based navigation service, ‘G-EYE PLUS Powered by VLAM’ enables blind and low vision people to get to destinations in a safe and efficient manner by providing route guidance based on a more accurate estimate of their location. Upon turning on the camera and capturing the surroundings by moving around half a circle, the service pinpoints the user’s current location within a 1-meter margin of error. G-EYE PLUS Powered by VLAM is unique and innovative in that it is the only navigation service that can lead blind and low vision people right up to the entrance of their destinations. The companies plan to develop G-EYE Plus Powered by VLAM into an integrated barrier-free navigation platform through constant technology upgrades to enable the transportation vulnerable to travel the whole journey independently without any help. Through diverse efforts to create an inclusive society through the use of advanced AI technologies, SKT has received awards in this category for four straight years. “We are delighted to receive these prestigious awards as they recognize our efforts to drive innovations through AI technologies and services,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT. “We will continue to introduce AI-based services that can create greater social value.”
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SKT Joins Hands with Global Telcos to explore ‘ifland’ expansion in US, Europe and Southeast Asia2023.03.01
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) announced that it signed MOUs with Deutsche Telekom AG, T-Mobile US, Axiata and CelcomDigi to cooperate in promoting the metaverse business in the global market. Since launching its metaverse platform ‘ifland’ in 49 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in November 2022, SKT has been focusing on providing the platform in an optimized way through cooperation with global telecommunications companies. Now, through MOUs with global telecommunications companies that each have more than 100 million subscribers, SKT expects ifland to better reach users throughout the globe. Signs MOU with Deutsche Telekom and T Mobile US to expand ifland in Germany and the US On February 27 at MWC Barcelona 2023, SKT signed an MOU with Deutsche Telekom, one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies, and T-Mobile US, a global leader in 5G, to cooperate in exploring ‘ifland’ expansion in Germany and the US. The MOU signing ceremony was attended by Park Jung-ho, Vice President of SK Square, Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT, Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, and Claudia Nemat, board member for Technology and Innovation at Deutsche Telekom. Under the MOU, the three companies will jointly conduct market tests in Germany and the US, develop content that can cater to local customers, and promote joint marketing. The market tests are scheduled to take place in Q2. SKT, Deutsche Telekom, and T-Mobile US expect these market test will enable them to try more diverse metaverse services in Europe and the US. Inked MOUs with Axiata and CelcomDigi to promote ifland in Southeast Asia On February 28, SKT signed MOUs with Axiata, a telecommunications conglomerate with 11 ASEAN and South Asian countries (i.e. Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal) and CelcomDigi, the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia to cooperate in the metaverse business. The meeting was joined by Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya and Vivek Sood, Joint Acting Group CEOs of Axiata, and Datuk Idham Nawawi, CEO of CelcomDigi. SKT and Axiata agreed to work together to provide ifland through all subsidiaries of Axiata, develop metaverse platform-related business models, and create AI-basedbusiness opportunities to strengthen their competitiveness. Moreover, SKT and CelcomDigi will cooperate to increase ifland users in Malaysia and create new business ideas. By expanding its metaverse service into the Southeast Asian market, where Korean culture such as K-content is gaining popularity, SKT expects to expand ifland’s services and develop new business opportunities. “As we advance into the global market with our metaverse platform ifland, major telecommunications companies in each country and region play an important role as our partners,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT. “Going forward, we will continue to work closely with diverse global companies to expand the scope of our metaverse service.” “The collaboration between the leading Malaysian telecoms operator serving more than 20 million customers and global ICT leader SKT will set the stage for the nation’s metaverse development, and drive growth and digitalisation within the digital economy,” said Datuk Idham Nawawi, CEO of CelcomDigi. “We look forward to working together on leveraging innovative technologies and practices particularly in virtual spaces to develop and deliver a wider range of innovative solutions for our customers and Malaysian businesses.” “Axiata is deeply committed to leveraging emerging technologies towards the inclusive advancement of Societies and Economies across Asia,” said Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, CEO of Axiata. “We are proud to partner with SKT and the ifland platform and consider the partnership a significant component of our participation in the metaverse going forward.”
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SKT to Lead AI Transformation in Industry and Society with AI Services and Technologies2023.02.27
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today held a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil its ambitious plans to achieve ‘AI to Everywhere’ by driving innovations in five different areas, namely Customer & Technology, Time & Space, AI Transformation(AIX) for Industries, Core Business Model, and ESG. Customer & Technology CEO Ryu said that SKT’s AI service ‘A.’ has successfully settled in the Korean market by securing 1 million subscribers within just 9 months of its launch, and unveiled plans to further upgrade the service to not only shape it into the leading AI service in Korea, but also to develop opportunities in the global market. Through acquisition of sufficient knowledge data and machine learning, SKT is currently developing A. features that will enable users to engage in highly intellectual dialogues as well as emotional conversations that make users feel as if they are talking to their friends. It also plans to keep linking more and more features to A. for a more intuitive user experience – i.e. by removing the need to move between apps or conduct cumbersome searches. The company plans to expand the variety and scope of A. features/services from 30 to 100, and is currently promoting partnerships with popular character companies. CEO Ryu stated that the new features, including advanced conversations, multiple characters, and customized content, will be included in the updated version of A. to be released within this quarter. He also shared his ambitions to advance into the global market with A. by customizing the service to each different market and advancing related technologies in cooperation with global telcos and AI tech companies. Time & Space CEO Ryu said that SKT will expand time and space for customers by increasing the realm of its business from ground to air and from reality to virtual space, and expand its role from a mobile operator to mobility operator via services like urban air mobility (UAM), autonomous driving and robots. He explained that the company is moving fast to achieve commercialization of UAM service by developing use cases and conducting test flights, and has gained strong competitiveness in key UAM technologies such as aircrafts, 5G UAM communication network, navigation/ control, and location analysis. Ryu also unveiled plans to introduce diverse use cases – e.g. UAM flight between airport and city centers, tourism products, etc. - in collaboration with local governments including Jeju and Daegu. In the area of autonomous driving, which is being promoted as a long-term project, the company plans to enter into the AI solutions market. CEO Ryu stated that SKT will develop a world-class self-driving solution package by combining SAPEON’s semiconductor chip for autonomous driving, software technology of Phantom AI, a company SKT decided to invest in, and SKT’s experience acquired through the operation of ‘Nugu Auto,’ an AI platform for automobiles. In the area of robots, the company has launched diverse types of robots, including logistics robot and barista robot, and plans to boost the AI ecosystem by cooperating with Qualcomm and Integrit to develop an open robotics data platform. CEO Ryu also talked about ifland, a metaverse service that takes customers beyond limitations of time and space. With over 2,500 partners and 4 million monthly active users (MAU), ifland has grown into Korea's representative metaverse service optimized for virtual gatherings. Ryu said that SKT will shape ifland into a global leading social metaverse platform by evolving it into a 3D space-based social networking service in April, expanding ifland’s economic system through the adoption of a content marketplace and Web3 system, and increasing partnerships both home and abroad. He unveiled that ifland has gained a bridgehead into the European, North American and Asian markets by signing MOUs with global telcos including Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile US, Axiata and CelcomDigi. AI Transformation (AIX) for Industries CEO Ryu explained that SKT is facilitating AI transformation of industries with its AI technologies. The company is working closely with brilliant startups in areas such as infrastructure & hardware, base technology, and application/service, and plans to continuously expand into new business areas, including security, health care, advertising, smart factory and enterprise solutions. He said that SKT is witnessing rapid growth in the infrastructure & hardware area by achieving outstanding performance in the AI semiconductor market in partnership with SAPEON Inc. AI semiconductor chip X330 to be released by SAPEON Inc. in the second half of this year is expected to provide four times stronger performance than its predecessor, X220. SAPEON is increasing its market presence by supplying chips to NHN Cloud, SKT NPU (Neural Processing Unit) Farm, SK Hynix’s Smart Factory, and expanding the ecosystem through close collaboration with Phantom AI (autonomous driving), and Konan Technology (deep learning model). By attracting investment, SAPEON saw its corporate value increase by more than six times in less than a year, from KRW 80 billion at the time of establishment in 2022 to KRW 500 billion in 2023. In the cloud business, SKT is creating synergies with Bespin Global, Asia’s No.1 managed service provider by cooperating with OpsNow to jointly develop an AI-based cloud management platform. In the area of base technology & application/service, the company launched an integrated advertising platform ‘ASUM’ by combining its massive customer data with Moloco’s AI/machine learning technology. In addition, in cooperation with AI software company Konan Technology, SKT is working to expand into diverse industries, including robot, media, data analysis, commerce, airport and manufacturing, with AI video, machine learning and digital twinning, etc. The company is also collaborating with Swit, a global work OS solution provider, to integrate internal and external services including MeetUs and Toktok, conduct joint marketing leveraging sales capabilities of SKT and SKB, and advance AI technologies. Armed with world-class vision AI technologies, SKT plans to advance into the global market through cooperation with global top cloud service providers. The company is generating tangible results by offering ‘X Caliber,’ a vision AI-based veterinary image diagnostic solution adopted by over 120 veterinary clinics, and otherservices such as security dispatch and industrial safety management using AI cameras. Core Business Model CEO Ryu explained how AI can enhance the competitiveness of SKT’s core businesses like mobile telecommunications, media and subscription. In line with the trend where boundaries between businesses are blurring, SKT will promote a whole new digital transformation in its mobile telecommunications business to innovate customer experience through hyper-personalized services. In the media business, the company is preparing AI TV, AI commerce and AI content to enhance customer experience and accelerate AI transformation across the media value chain. SKT’s subscription business ‘T Universe’ saw its subscribers, partners and GMV double last year. This year, efforts will be made to increase both the size and profitability of the business by creating synergies between T-Deal and Btv, introducing new products (e.g. financial, insurance, rental, etc.), andpartnering with major global brands. This year, the company plans to launch an AI-based open subscription commerce platform to recommend what customers want through hyper-personalized marketing based on lifecycle data, and allow partners to manage and supply products on the platform. ESG CEO Ryu stressed that SKT aims to create a better world with AI by tackling social problems by utilizing AI technologies. SKT’s language AI and vision AI technologies are spreading a positive influence throughout society. ‘AI Care’ and ‘Nugu Care Call’ have been provided to a combined total of 50,000 one-person households, and AI Care has rescued 400 seniors in emergency situations. Also, SKT’s Spam Filtering System blocked more than 4 million cases of smishing last year alone. Moreover, the company is working together with many social startups including Tuat, a social startup providing visual assistance apps for people with visual impairments. Accelerating AI Transformation through Partnerships CEO Ryu said that SKT will accelerate AI innovations through partnerships and collaborations with AI tech companies. In this regard, CEOs of SKT’s AI partners, including Phantom AI, SAPEON, Bespin Global, Moloco, Konan Technology, Swit, and Tuat, attended the press conference to introduce their AI technologies and future vision. Ryu stressed that together with its partners, SKT will make efforts to build a new ecosystem and play a leading role in realizing AI transformation that delivers unprecedented value to all customers, companies and industries. “SKT’s AI innovation in the five areas is aimed at realizing ‘AI to Everywhere,’ which refers to applying AI to every part of our lives,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT, “Our ultimate goal is to create a world where everyone can benefit from AI.”
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SKT Introduces New Wave of AI-Driven Innovations at MWC Barcelona 20232023.02.26
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced that it will showcase innovative ICT such as AI, urban air mobility (UAM) and 6G at MWC Barcelona 2023 opening tomorrow at Fira Gran Via located in Barcelona, Spain. ■AI technologies & services At this year’s MWC Barcelona, SKT will display ten different AI technologies and services, including a large AI model named ‘A.’;AI semiconductor ‘SAPEON’; ‘Vision AI’ for robot, security, media and medical services; location AI solution ‘LITMUS’; and medical AI service ‘X Caliber.’ The company will demonstrate ‘A.’ applied with long-term memory technology that remembers old information to make natural conversations, and multi-modal technology that can understand complex information such as text, photos and voice. It will also introduce innovative technologies developed through collaboration with its AI partners, including Konan Technology, Moloco, Bespin Global, Swit and Phantom AI. ■ Urban Air Mobility By combining a full-scale UAM aircraft built based on the eVTOL aircraft of Joby Aviation, SKT’s exclusive partner in the UAM business, and a virtual experience simulator, the company takes visitors on an immersive virtual flight over the skies of Seoul and Busan. With mobility service platform ‘TMAP’, visitors will be able to experience planning their overall trip that involves multiple modes of transportation, charging of aircraft batteries, as well as infotainment services during flights. They can also pilot the UAM aircraft simulator and use SKT’s self-developed 4D trajectory-based flight control platform to estimate trajectory and prevent collision via route deviation alert. The company will also display a technology that uses drones to verify the quality of aerial networks, which is essential for stable operation of UAM services, along with its vision of expanding UAM into the logistics business. ■ Advanced technologies in5G & 6G, metaverse and quantum cryptography SKT will showcase diverse next-generation mobile network technologies such as transparent antenna technology that can improve frequency performance in 5G as well as 6G candidate bands; intelligent network that provides improved performance through the application of AI and cloud technologies; and infrastructure applied with energy-saving technology. The company also invites visitors to experience ‘ifland,’ a metaverse service launched in the global market. Visitors can create their own space in the virtual world, invite other users, and have fun designing clothes for their avatars. The economic system soon to be applied to ifland will also be introduced. Moreover, SKT will show how its quantum cryptography technologies can help strengthen security in an era where the real and virtual worlds are closely connected and AI technologies are widely adopted. ■Innovations for ESG at 4YFN At 4YFN, the startup event of MWC Barcelona held in Hall 8.1 of Fira Gran Via, SKT will introduce innovative ideas and technologies of 14 social startups it is partnering with as well as its own ESG projects under the slogan of “Think Tomorrow, Do ESG.” The company will display AI services designed to help the socially weak such as ‘AI Care,’ an AI-based care service for seniors living alone, ‘G-EYE PLUS with VLAM,’ a navigation service for people with visual impairments (SKT & LBStech & SAPEON), ‘Sullivan Plus,’ an AI-based visual-aid service (SKT & Tuat), and ‘Goyohan M,’ an ICT-based mobility platform for deaf cab drivers (SKT & Coactus). SKT will also introduce various services of innovative startups that have received investment from the ESG fund operated by SKT or have been selected as excellent companies in ESG. For instance, a braille publishing platform for the visually impaired by Sensee, AI-based Korean language education app by H2K, and a solution that utilizes AI data to reduce food waste by Nuvi Lab will be on display to show how the companies are using AI technologies to make a better world. “We have designed an exhibition that allows visitors to experience a new world brought by AI innovations,” said Park Kyu-hyun, Vice President and Head of Digital Communication at SKT. “We expect MWC Barcelona 2023 to serve as an opportunity to promote our global leading technologies and services to the world.”
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SK Telecom and DOCOMO Release White Papers on Green Mobile Networks and 6G Requirements2023.02.22
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) and NTT DOCOMO, INC. (DOCOMO) today announced their joint release of two white papers, one on energy-efficient 5G mobile networks and related technologies, and the other on requirements for future 6G networks. The release of the white papers is the first outcome of a basic agreement that SKT and DOCOMO signed last November to explore opportunities for technical collaboration on next-generation telecommunication infrastructure technologies for 5G evolution and 6G. Regarding 5G mobile networks, the white paper reviews the following: Opportunities to achieve greater power savings based on energy consumption levels measured in the two companies’ respective base stations Technical analysis of candidate power-saving technologies, including both hardware and software The roles that operators and equipment vendors should play, including the need for greater coordination, in the effort to achieve greater power savings < Energy consumption of mobile network base stations > For 6G, the paper reviews requirements and challenges including specific performance levels and implementation scenarios, focusing on technical issues of particular importance to mobile operators: Performance requirements and implementation scenarios for each frequency band, taking into account the characteristics of each frequency Issues concerning coverage and devices in high-frequency bands Standards for migration to 6G architecture and application of cloud-native / open architecture < Study of 6G Requirements > Going forward, SKT and DOCOMO will continue to collaborate in various technical fields, aiming to enhance the competitiveness and operational efficiency of 5G as well as support the global standardization and technical verification of 6G. They will also collaborate with global telecom operators on 6G standardization and R&D with the goal of building a global ecosystem that encompasses advanced industries and technologies. Meanwhile, SKT is leading efforts to build early 6G ecosystem, participating as contributors to ‘6G Requirements and Design Considerations’ published by the NGMN Alliance on February 14, 2023. “The white papers carry a significant meaning as they mark the first tangible result since entering into a strategic partnership with NTT DOCOMO last year,” said Yu Takki, Vice President and Head of Infra Tech Office of SKT. “Based on our experience and knowhow in 5G, we will continue to collaborate with world-leading operators such as NTT DOCOMO to lead 5G evolution towards 6G.” “We are delighted to jointly announce two white papers on green mobile networks and 6G requirements as our collaborative achievements with SK Telecom started in November 2022,” said Takehiro Nakamura, Chief Technology Architect, DOCOMO. “We will continue to enhance cooperation among the two major Asian mobile operators and promote superior concepts and innovative technologies to the world for the 6G deployment.” 6G Common Requirements Download /Green Mobile Network Download
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SKT to Showcase Future Technologies at MWC Barcelona 20232023.02.19
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced that it will participate in MWC Barcelona 2023 to be held from February 27 to March 2 to showcase its innovative future technologies and expand global partnerships. ■ Introducing powerful AI technologies that will transform the future Located in Hall 3 Stand 3I30 of Fira Gran Via, SKT’s exhibition space will present future-leading technologies like AI, UAM and 6G under the theme of “AI, the Wave of Innovation.” SKT, which is evolving into an AI company, will introduce a wide variety of AI services that have become a part of people’s daily lives such as ‘A.,’ a large AI model; ‘Vision AI,’ an AI technology that is being applied to diverse areas including robots, security, media and healthcare; ‘SAPEON,’ an AI semiconductor that works as the brain of AI services; and ‘LITMUS,’ a location AI service that can be used in areas of smart cities and transportation. The company will also display AI technologies and services of other companies to show their cooperative efforts in building an AI ecosystem that can bring benefits to customers. Visitors to SKT’s booth will be able to gain an immersive experience of UAM, a future mobility service. SKT has prepared a life-scale UAM aircraft simulator along with a UAM reservation & ticketing service onits integrated mobility platform ‘TMAP’ to allow visitors to virtually experience this innovative future mobility. Moreover, the company will showcase next-generation (6G) mobile network technologies, security technologies based on quantum mechanics, and ‘ifland’ its metaverse service launched in the global market. Meanwhile, SKT will also introduce ESG projects with 14 innovative startups in Korea at 4YFN, the startup event of MWC Barcelona to be held in Hall 8.1 of Fira Gran Via to share how they are tackling social problems by utilizing innovative technologies. ■ Expanding partnerships with global companies SKT CEO Ryu Young-sang is scheduled to visit Barcelona to present the company’s vision as an AI company and promote partnerships with companies throughout the globe. Having actively participated in MWC for the past 10 years, SKT has led the development of the ICT ecosystem through cooperation with various partners. At MWC Barcelona 2023, CEO Ryu plans to meet with global tech firms in areas such as AI, metaverse and telecommunications to expand the company’s partnerships and collaborations. “As we accelerate our journey to become an AI company, we will be showcasing our innovative services built with next-generation ICT including AI, metaverse and 6G,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT. “We will take this year’s MWC as an opportunity to further expand our technologies and services in the global market.”
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SKT Announces FY 2022 Results2023.02.08
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced its earnings for the year 2022 on a K-IFRS consolidated basis: revenue of KRW 17.305 trillion and operating income of KRW 1.612 trillion. Compared to last year, SKT’s consolidated revenue and operating income increased by 3.3% and 16.2%, respectively, thanks to even growth in all business areas including Fixed and Mobile Telecommunications, Media and Enterprise. Net income dropped by 60.8% to KRW 947.8 billion due to factors including the exclusion of equity method gains from SK Hynix. On a non-consolidated basis, SKT’s revenue rose by 2.6% year-on-year (YoY) to KRW 12.415 trillion and its operating income expanded by 18.6% YoY to KRW 1.321 trillion. Non-consolidated net income stood at KRW 869.5 billion. SK Broadband’s revenue increased by 2.6% YoY to KRW 4.156 trillion and its operating income expanded by 10.9% YoY to KRW 305.7 billion, thanks to the growth of pay TV subscribers and enterprise business. The Fixed and Mobile Telecommunications Business is sustaining growth centered around SKT’s MNO market leadership. As of 2022, the number of SKT’s 5G subscribers stood at 13.39 million, taking up over 50% of its total mobile subscriber base. SK Broadband also continued its growth by attracting a total of 9.32 million pay TV subscribers as of the end of 2022. The Media Business posted revenue of KRW 1.537 trillion, up 20.8% YoY. Based on strong fixed and mobile telecommunications market leadership, it achieved growth in areas including content, advertising and commerce. The company will continue to strengthen its advertising and commerce business by utilizing AI technologies. The Enterprise Business - centered around data center and cloud - recorded revenue of KRW 1.509 trillion, representing a 12.5% YoY growth, thanks to increased utilization of data centers located in Gasan and Siksa and growth of cloud traffic. With structural growth expected in data center and cloud businesses, SKT plans to improve profitability through enhanced operational efficiency. The company also will actively promote businesses using diverse AI technologies and solutions including robots and vision AI. Within the AIVERSE business, ‘T Universe’ achieved a total GMV of approximately KRW 570 billion, exceeding the target set at the beginning of 2022. As of December 2022, the number of T Universe subscribers increased by 60% compared to the first quarter. Since its global launch in December 2022, SKT’s metaverse service ‘ifland’ has been generating encouraging results, attracting more than 10% of monthly active users (MAU) in the overseas markets. ifland will strengthen its economic system by introducing in-app payment this year. For the fourth quarter of 2022, SKT decided to pay out a dividend of KRW 830 per share. Including the previously paid quarterly dividends of KRW 2,490, the company’s total dividend for 2022 will be KRW 3,320, a 66% increase from 2020 before the horizontal spin-off. This will be finalized after gaining approval at the general shareholders' meeting to be held in March 2022. Based on strong performance of its five key business groups, SKT is set to transform into an AI company and continue to generate tangible results. In the B2C market, the company has already proven its advanced technology by applying the world’s first Korean version of GPT-3 to ‘A.’ In February, it will further upgrade A. by adopting ‘long-term memory’ technology that remembers old information and uses it for conversation, and 'multi-modal' technology that can understand complex information such as text, photos and voice. Along with self-development of technologies, SKT will also promote partnerships with diverse companies in areas including language models (e.g. ChatGPT) and base technologies, and officially launch A. in Korea within this year. Moreover, SKT has chosen UAM as a key future service and is making efforts to secure leadership in this area. The company has formed the K-UAM Dream Team Consortium to participate in UAM projects in Korea and is moving fast to commercialize Korea’s first UAM service by 2025. The company also entered into an exclusive partnership with Joby Aviation, a global leading company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, and is focusing on securing advanced communications network and service platform operation capabilities. At CES 2023, SKT’s key executives met with Joby executives to discuss close cooperation between the two companies. “With our key five business groups generating tangible results, we were able to set ourselves on a growth path in 2021,” said Kim Jin-won, Chief Financial Officer of SKT. “This year, based on our strong performance, we will make a leap as an AI company and achieve greater shareholder value.” ※ The conference call in regard to SK Telecom’s earnings results for the year 2022 can be heard via SK Telecom’s webpage on Wednesday, February 8, from 15:00 Seoul Time. Link: https://irsvc.teletogether.com/skt/skt2022Q4_eng.php ※ Attachment 1.Summary of Consolidated Income Statement(Unit: KRW billion) Type Year-on-year Year-on-year 2022 2021 Change 2022 4Q 2021 4Q Change Revenue 17,305.0 16,748.6 3.3% 4,394.5 4,295.3 2.3% Operating Income 1,612.1 1,387.2 16.2% 254.5 224.2 13.5% Net Income 947.8 2,419.0 - 60.8% 223.7 314.8 - 28.9% * The horizontal spin-off in 2021 is reflected in the figures. ※Attachment 2.Summary of Non-Consolidated Income Statement(Unit: KRW billion) Type Year-on-year Year-on-year 2022 2021 Change 2022 4Q 2021 4Q Change Revenue 12,414.6 12,102.8 2.6% 3,096.3 3,073.1 0.8% Operating Income 1,321.1 1,114.3 18.6% 194.6 159.1 22.3% Net Income 869.5 1,073.8 - 19.0% 87.9 265.4 - 66.9% * The horizontal spin-off in 2021 is reflected in the figures.
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SKT Innovates Cell Tower Safety Inspection with AI2023.01.31
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced that it developed and applied a system that checks the safety of cell towers using drones and image analysis AI. Developed by SKT’s in-house experts, the image analysis AI model is capable of determining the status of bolts and nuts by analyzing images taken by drones. Cell towers equipped with transmitting and receiving antennas are installed all across the nation and reach a height of up to 75 meters. And since these cell towers require periodic maintenance to prevent accidents caused by deterioration, such as corrosion or loosening of bolts and nuts, specialized personnel had to climb up the cell towers or study the images of cell towers taken by drones to visually check the conditions. Now with the intelligent safety inspection system in place, SKT can not only prevent accidents due to aging cell towers, but also can secure the safety of these personnel by minimizing the need to go up the cell towers. Moreover, the company can drive up work productivity through the application of an AI model that automatically identifies defects by analyzing images taken by drones. Previously, safety inspectors had to study around 100 images to complete safety inspection of one cell tower. With the adoption of this AI analysis model, SKT was able to reduce the time required for the process by 95%, while increasing the reliability and consistency of the analysis results. Going forward, SKT plans to keep advancing the intelligent safety inspection system for cell towers by adding inspection items such as wind pressure safety/inclination, further improving the AI model and linking it with the safety management system. In addition to the drone-based intelligent safety inspection system, SKT is also actively applyingAI to all areas related to its telecommunications networks, including equipment error/anomaly detection, power cost reduction, and work completion inspection. “By building an intelligent safety inspection system that can complement the existing visual inspection, we have secured greater safety for workers,” said Park Myung-soon, SKT’s Vice President and Head of Infra DT Office. “We will continue to make efforts to achieve AI transformation of our telecommunication networks, while focusing on developing our field workers into experts who can develop and operate AI.”
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SKT to Lead Coffee Robot Market with Advanced AI Technology2023.01.26
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today launched ‘AI Barista Robot,’ an advanced coffee-making robot powered by AI, together with Doosan Robotics, a leading robot manufacturer in Korea. AI Barista Robot was developed by combining Doosan Robotics' robot manufacturing and service capabilities and SKT's advanced AI, big data and security technologies. The robot can not only make around 20 different drinks including coffee and ades, but also allows users to customize their coffee and is even capable of closing lids before serving. More importantly, AI Barista Robot is designed to maximize the operational efficiency of coffee stores. Based on a data analysis platform, the AI analyzes sales status by menu/branch, raw material consumption, and equipment status in real time and notifies store owners via mobile app alerts. It can also be built with surveillance cameras to ensure a high level of security for unmanned stores. By dramatically reducing the inconveniences store owners experience in unmanned operation of stores, AI Barista Robot is expected to help them manage and operate their stores with greater efficiency and ease around the clock. SKT plans to promote the popularization of these AI-powered robots through diverse promotions and competitive pricing, andaims to become a leading company in the coffee robot market within the next five years by offering differentiated service and cost-effective products. Meanwhile, SKT invested KRW 10 billion in CMES, a leading AI vision robotics company, in March 2022. The two companies are currently developing a cooperation model in the AI robot business, and promoting entry into both the Korean and U.S. logistics markets. “In an era where robots are becoming ever-present in our daily lives, we will focus on providing diverse robot services that can enhance the convenience and productivity of both individual and corporate customers, and provide them with a greater experience,” said Choi Nag-hun, Vice President and Head of Industrial AIX CO.
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SK Telecom to Showcase Green ICT at CES 20232022.12.19
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) today announced that it will participate in CES 2023, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 5 to 8, 2023, to showcase green ICT that can accelerate progress towards achieving Net Zero. SKT will operate a joint exhibition booth with SK Inc., SK Innovation, SK hynix, SK E&S, SK Ecoplant, SK Biopharmaceuticals and SKC under the theme of ‘SK’s Actions for 2030 Net Zero,’ which highlights their commitment to reducing carbon emissions by about 200 million tons by 2030. The joint exhibition booth will cover an area of 1,200 square meters in the Central Hall, and eight SK affiliates will showcase diverse technologies and products under the theme. SKT will be displaying Urban Air Mobility (UAM), AI semiconductor ‘SAPEON,’ and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) for renewable energy. Its booth will feature a life-sized UAM aircraft to enable visitors to experience how the SAPEON chip can help enhance the UAM aircraft operation, and how VPP will supply power to vertiports. Upon boarding the UAM aircraft, visitors will find themselves virtually flying over the skies of Busan. SAPEON mounted on the aircraft will support both the pilot and ground control by monitoring the air route, aircraft surroundings, and the situation within the aircraft, and identifying risk factors; and VPP will predict power demand and supply, and supply environmentally-friendly energy to the UAM aircraft and vertiport. UAM is being highlighted as an eco-friendly means of transportation that can be connected to various means of land transportation. As a member of ‘UAM Team Korea,’ a public-private consultative body organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, SKT is accelerating the commercialization of UAM through cooperation with strong domestic and foreign partners. It signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hanwha Systems, Korea Airports Corporation, and Korea Transport Institute in 2021, and entered into a strategic partnership with Joby Aviation, a global leading aviation company developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air vehicles, in 2022. SKT developed an AI semiconductor SAPEON and secured a bridgehead to advance into the global market by establishing SAPEON Inc. in the U.S., through joint investment with SK Square and SK hynix. SAPEON X220 is optimally designed to process AI tasks faster, using less power by efficiently processing large amounts of data in parallel. It is environmentally friendly, as it is 1.5 times faster and consumes only 80% of the power compared to Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Recently, SAPEON X220 was recognized for its excellence by recording 2.3 to 4.6 times higher performance than the existing products in the MLPerf benchmark, a global AI research consortium. SAPEON Inc. plans to release its successor model 'X300' series products with improved performance and computational accuracy in 2023. SKT’s VPP is a system that enables integrated management of renewable energy produced on a small scale in different regions by individuals or businesses. In September, SKT signed an MOU with SK Energy, Korea Electrotechnical Research Institute, and startups to develop future virtual power plant technology. By utilizing ICT including AI, SKT plans to build a VPP optimized for producing, storing and trading renewable energy based on the prediction of energy demand and supply. “At this year’s CES, we will be introducing innovative green ICT that can accelerate our progress towards achieving Net Zero, and invite the world to join us on this journey,” said SKT.