Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom have struck a partnership deal to collaborate in the fields of services, Internet of Things (IoT), and related research and development areas.
Through development of technologies such as network slicing and mobile edge computing, the pair said they plan to drive standardisation and implementation of 5G, and identify 5G key applications.
The strategic partnership is also designed to create joint opportunities in Asian and European markets. They will develop products and services for each other’s customers, as well as for broader distribution in global markets.
Deutsche Telekom has completed testing of SK Telecom’s Cloud Streaming solution in December at its T-Labs. Cloud Streaming, built on software virtualisation technologies, enables low-end set-top boxes to support the latest user interfaces, and allows providers to reduce hardware investment and subscriber acquisition costs.
The pair will run a feasibility test for its sale in Germany by Q2 2016. SK Telecom expects to secure a bridgehead to enter European markets following the trial.
The pair, market leaders in Germany and Korea respectively, said they will also enhance their roaming agreements, including for LTE-based roaming, and combine their efforts to mutually investigate industry leading smart city solutions.
Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said: “The idea is to create an amazing technology partnership with tangible results. The development and exchange of new services will help both companies generate more benefit for our customers. But it’s also about learning from each other. We are really impressed with SK Telecom’s agility and creativity, and look forward to exchanging ideas and experiences.”
Jang Dong-hyun, President and CEO of SK Telecom, said: “By building on each other’s strengths, we will unlock new growth opportunities and pave the way for the future ICT industry.”
Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom are founding members of the Next Generation Enterprise Network Alliance (NGENA), announced this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
They are also members of the Open Compute Project, the Facebook-led open source hardware and data centre design initiative. Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom said they will also seek a proactive role to achieve innovations in network-IT infrastructure.