The three Korean telcos will support small and medium-sized enterprises by sharing 5G IoT-related tech specs
Korean operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus and the Radio Promotion Association of Korea (RAPA) have signed an agreement to foster the ability of small and medium-sized manufacturers to develop 5G IoT products linked to telecommunication networks.
In a release, SK Telecom said that this agreement aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises shorten the development period for new 5G IoT products, as well as reduce development costs.
The carrier also noted that it currently takes at least 2-3 months for a manufacturer’s product to pass quality verification by each telecommunications company.
In addition, many small and medium-sized businesses are experiencing difficulties due to the “severe lack of verification infrastructure” for individual products, as IoT equipment is used for remote control, safety management and environmental monitoring in various fields such as digital manufacturing, urban areas, vehicles, and energy, SK Telecom said.
Through this agreement, the three telecommunication companies decided to support small and medium-sized enterprises by sharing 5G IoT-related telecommunication network linkage technology specifications, providing regular information on each telecommunication company’s test environment, utilizing RAPA test results for telecommunication company inspection tests for 5G IoT products and providing technical advice and consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises. SK Telecom noted that this includes technical consulting for terminals, components and antennas for 5G Standalone, Non-Standalone and 5G Redcap.
RAPA has also been creating a collaborative environment between the three telecommunications companies and small and medium-sized enterprises through annual technology agreements and through the establishment of the ‘IoT technology support center’.
In addition, SK Telecom also noted that the three Korean telcos plan to strengthen technical mentoring for small and medium-sized enterprises along with support for commercialization inspection of hardware and software of IoT devices.
Song Jeong-su, executive vice president of RAPA, said: “It is urgent to activate win-win cooperation to support domestic small and medium-sized enterprises in the hyper-connected 5G and 6G IoT fields in the AI era. Through this business agreement, RAPA will spare no support so that it can serve as a bridgehead for win-win cooperation between large and small and medium-sized enterprises in the 5G IoT field.”
“As mobile communications continue to evolve to 5G Advanced and 6G, we are entering an era of ‘hyper-connected AI infrastructure’ where AI is integrated. We will actively support domestic small and medium-sized enterprises to grow into leading companies in the intelligent IoT industry and expand the ecosystem based on various products and services,” said Ryu Tak-ki, head of SK Telecom’s infrastructure technology division.
