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SK Telecom and SingTel are developing the necessary AI and orchestration technologies to enable carriers to easily transition to 6G.
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SK Telecom was one of the first telecommunications carriers to introduce 5G in 2018.
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The South Korean telecommunications company has been making strides in AI, recently investing $200 million in Smart Global Holdings (SGH).
South Korea’s SK Telecom and Singapore’s SingTel have signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and orchestration tools to enhance knowledge and expertise in new technologies such as network virtualization needed for the transition to 6G.
“The two companies will also collaborate on developing differentiated and innovative solutions to improve network capabilities, such as edge AI infrastructure to offload cloud-intensive computational loads through edge computing and combine AI solutions to perform AI inference,” a press release about the partnership stated.
The initiative will enable the two service providers to improve connectivity, offer AI services to customers, and enhance customer experience by ensuring faster restoration of services.
SK Telecom and SingTel also plan to jointly develop white papers on their progress in areas such as virtualization, slicing and network evolution, which they believe will help other service providers leverage 5G capabilities and prepare for 6G.
6G and AI investments galore
SK Telecom released a white paper last year outlining key requirements for 6G standardization and was also one of the earliest carriers to launch 5G in 2018.
Separately, SK Telecom invested $200 million in integrated data center solutions provider Smart Global Holdings (SGH) to bring new services to customers. This is one of the largest artificial intelligence (AI) investments SK Telecom has made in an AI company to advance in the global AI infrastructure market.
“By combining the strengths of both companies, we aim to build an efficient and high-performance network, improve network stability, and discover new network-based services,” said Kang Jeong-ryul, head of ICT infrastructure at SK Telecom. “Furthermore, we will strive to make significant advances in next-generation communications technologies, such as AI-powered wired and wireless infrastructure.”
Singtel managing director of networks Tei Yow Liang added: “As a global leader in 5G technology, we are keen to make the most of the myriad capabilities this technology has to offer, particularly in the areas of network slicing and embedding AI.”
“Singtel aims not only to enhance customer experience, but also to drive industry innovation and prepare for the evolution to 6G,” said Mr Tay.
Asian telecommunications companies’ presence grows
SK Telecom and SingTel are also members of the Global Telecom AI Alliance, which was announced earlier this year. The alliance aims to use AI to accelerate business transformation for incumbent telecom companies and develop new AI-powered business models. The organization is also developing multilingual large-scale language models (LLMs) for communications service providers. Other members of the Global Telecom AI Alliance include Deutsche Telekom, SoftBank, and e&M.
Asian telecommunications companies like SK Telecom are playing an increasingly important role in the development of new communications technologies and standardization. Now, with 6G, the telco is looking to elevate its position as a technology leader in the communications sector.
South Korea is also focusing on 6G technology, with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) recently setting a 6G deployment target of 2028, two years ahead of the expected global 6G rollout.
Similarly, the Singapore government’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) recently launched the Future Communications Connectivity (FCC) Lab in collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), with a focus on 6G.
