Heads of 3 Major Telecom Companies Gather at MWC... Presenting Future Leading Technologies

Yoo Young-sang SKT CEO, Koo Hyun-mo KT CEO, Hwang Hyun-sik LG Uplus CEO Attend
Exhibition Realizing the Metaverse World, SKT's Vision of the Future
KT and LG U+ Present the Future of Digital Innovation in Collaboration with Global Big Tech Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The three major mobile carriers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, will participate in the 'Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022' held in Barcelona, Spain, from February 28 to March 3. Hosted by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), MWC is an annual event where telecom companies and big tech firms gather to share business directions and technology trends. This year's MWC, themed 'Connectivity Unleashed,' is expected to provide insights into the global information and communication technology (ICT) landscape, where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), metaverse, and the Internet of Things (IoT), based on 5G, are growing across all industrial sectors.

Top Executives of the Three Mobile Carriers Gather

MWC is one of the world's top three ICT exhibitions, featuring active exchanges and business cooperation among leading global ICT companies in mobile, devices, and software. This year, despite COVID-19, over 1,500 companies from more than 200 countries worldwide will participate. The heads of the three mobile carriers?SKT CEO Yoo Young-sang, KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo, and LG Uplus CEO Hwang Hyun-sik?will head to Barcelona.

CEO Yoo Young-sang will visit MWC22 to announce SKT's vision for the 2.0 era and expand cooperation with global figures across various industries. Over the past decade, SKT has been a mainstay on the MWC stage, contributing to the development of the global ICT industry through collaborations with various companies. Through partnerships with top domestic companies such as Samsung and Kakao, SKT provides differentiated customer experiences in telecommunications, AI, media, and ESG fields. It is also pursuing cooperation with leading global companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Deutsche Telekom, and Joby Aviation in future business areas including metaverse, gaming, commerce, cloud, and urban air mobility (UAM).

At this MWC, CEO Yoo plans to meet with global experts in telecommunications, devices, and future technologies to expand global super-cooperation, thereby enhancing customer experiences so that domestic customers can enjoy top-tier global ICT services.

CEO Ku Hyeon-mo will attend MWC as a board member of the GSMA. KT will open an exhibition hall themed 'DIGICO KT, the Engine of Digital Innovation.' The layout is designed so that the ground (exhibition floor) and sky (ceiling) face each other along the main road, allowing visitors to intuitively feel the digital innovation era where the boundaries of time and space are collapsing. KT also participates in the GSMA joint pavilion, Industry City, at MWC 2022.

CEO Hwang Hyun-sik will discuss 5G business cooperation plans with global big tech companies. He plans to visit booths of big tech firms such as Amazon and Qualcomm, as well as telecommunications equipment and device manufacturers like Samsung Electronics and Nokia, to explore this year's business directions and ICT trends.

Showcasing Future Leading Technologies

SKT and KT return to the MWC stage for the first time in three years since 2019. SKT has prepared a large exhibition hall of 792㎡ (approximately 250 pyeong) in the center of Hall 3 at the core exhibition venue ‘Fira Gran Via’ to introduce future leading technologies and services such as metaverse, AI, and UAM. The exhibition hall will feature 'ifland Global and HMD versions,' allowing overseas customers to enjoy Korea's representative metaverse service ifland; 'Jump Studio,' which uses volumetric technology to provide an immersive K-pop concert experience; Korea's first domestically produced AI semiconductor 'Sapeon'; and the core of future mobility 'UAM' integrated with connected intelligence.

Visitors will also experience the '4D Metaverse,' where they can ride a large robotic arm to explore the virtual future world (Meta Planet) created by SKT, and enjoy various attractions such as the 'Remote Docent,' which introduces exhibition items contactlessly for visitor safety. SKT will also separately exhibit its ESG projects at MWC22 alongside 11 innovative startups promoting ESG in Korea.

KT's exhibition hall located in Industry City is divided into three zones: AI, Robotics, and KT Group & Partners. In the AI zone, technologies such as 'Traffic Digital Twin,' which analyzes traffic flow using twin and AI to derive optimal signals; 'Hybrid 5G MEC Platform,' which analyzes CCTV footage based on mobile edge computing (MEC); 'Real Dance,' which compares and analyzes users' dance movements with AI; 'Dr. WAIS,' a technology that monitors 5G base stations and stations using AI; and 'AI National Quantum Initiative (NQI),' which analyzes wireless quality based on AI, will be showcased. Notably, KT will present the technology and application cases of its AI Contact Center (AICC), which has been well received since its domestic launch in the second half of last year, on the global stage.

In the Robotics zone, various technologies centered on quarantine robots will be introduced. The 'AI Quarantine Robot' technology, unveiled for the first time at this MWC, will be demonstrated, and in the future, quarantine robots will work with 'AirMap Korea' to detect poor indoor air quality in real time and improve spaces to be clean.

LG Uplus will operate a meeting space for buyers and a 5G service demonstration zone including XR content in Hall 2 of the exhibition center. Since the commercialization of 5G in 2019, the company plans to expand the export routes of U+5G services and content and explore 5G cooperation opportunities with numerous telecom companies worldwide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.