SK Telecom, Singtel ink deal for AI, 6G development

Singtel and SKT will also put together a white paper on their advancements in areas such as virtualisation, slicing and network evolution that can help telcos capitalise on the capabilities of 5G and prepare for 6G.

Mr Kang Jong-ryeol, head of ICT infra at SK Telecom said: “The collaboration between SKT and Singtel marks a significant first step in shaping the future of the global telecommunications industry.”

“By combining the strengths of both companies, we aim to achieve significant advancements in next-generation communication technologies such as 6G and AI infrastructure.”

The partners will work together on developing differentiated and innovative solutions to elevate network capabilities.

This includes Edge AI Infrastructure, which reduces the computational burden concentrated on the cloud through edge computing and performs AI inference by combining AI solutions.

This initiative is expected to enhance connectivity, while also providing customers with unique AI service offerings and allow operators to restore services faster.

Anna Yip, deputy CEO and CEO for business development at Singtel Singapore said: “As a global leader in 5G technology, we’re keen to capitalise on the myriad of capabilities this technology has to offer, especially in the areas of network slicing and with the inclusion of AI.

“With SKT, we’re looking to not only enhance the experience of our customers but to also drive industry innovation and help us prepare for the evolution to 6G.”

SKT and Singtel are also founding members of the Global Telco AI Alliance with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Softbank Corp.

The group aims to accelerate the AI transformation of the existing telco business and develop new growth drivers through new AI-powered business models.