SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho meets with Chairman & CEO Timotheus Höttges of Deutche Telekom AG to discussed ways of implementing 5G business collaboration at the SK Telecom headquarters in downtown Seoul on Oct. 22. (Photo: SKT)

SK Telecom and Deutche Telekom have forged a strategic alliance on 5G telecom. The two companies plan to consider strategically investing each their other’s subsidiaries and introducing technologies.

SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho met with Chairman & CEO Timotheus Höttges of Deutche Telekom AG at the SK Telecom headquarters in downtown Seoul on Oct. 22 and discussed ways of implementing business collaboration.

Both sides agreed to reciprocate by investing IDQ, a SK Telecom subsidiary, and MobiledgeX (MEX), a Deutche Telekom subsidiary. Amounts have yet to be determined.

SK Telecom and Deutche Telekom initially set investment amounts to the extent they can demonstrate mutual collaboration, but they finally agreed to raise the size of investments to the levels of guaranteeing practical collaboration, it was learned.

IDQ is a Swiss quantum cryptography communication company acquired by SK Telecom last February. Quantum cryptography uses our current knowledge of physics to develop a cryptosystem that is not able to be defeated - that is, one that is completely secure against being compromised without knowledge of the sender or the receiver of the messages.

MEX is a mobile edge computing solution developer. Cloud computing technology of putting all data into the central server and processing them is widespread, but it faces with overloading with data concentration.

Edge computing is adopting a method of processing given amounts of data at each terminal, so it can complement cloud computing. MEX solutions put servers at base stations near users to process simple data. They have been selected as essential solutions for self-driving and virtual reality due to swift processing and excellent security.

SK Telecom and Deutche Telekom plan to introduce each other’s technologies into on their respective communications network. Deutche Telekom is certifying IDQ’s quantum cryptography communication technology to apply it on its network. SK Telecom is considering introducing MEX’s mobile edge computing technology.

The two companies decided to explore ways of exploring investment opportunities such as exchanging of VR/AR and experience media technologies and joint support to help Korean and European startups enter overseas markets.

SK Telecom decided on the investment to cope with data cyber threats against financial and public entities in the run-up to the commercialization of 5G and to prevent data transmission delays, an SKT official said. Korea’s largest telecom service provider will ramp up collaboration in 5G areas such as VR, AR and real experience media, he added.

The move may be construed as its strategy to secure leadership in the 5G market by standardizing telecom services through the sharing of technology and experiences and strengthening global collaboration.