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Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
SK Telecom today announced that it has released a major UX overhaul of its AI service ‘A.’ (pronounced A dot) to enhance customers to enjoy various content based on personal tastes and preferences. The reorganisation includes enhancements to several features such as the addition of new AI agents that are capable of taking on diverse personas.
SKT has improved the UX of the main screen of ‘A.’ so that various content can be viewed on one screen at once according to the user’s unique preferences.
The company has also added a chatroom in ‘A.’ where users can have conversations with an AI character. Through these conversations, users can share information about their daily life like they are talking to a close friend.
In addition, SKT has added ‘Chat T’ to ‘A.’, using the ChatGPT model of Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. By asking ‘Chat T’ questions, users can receive rich and informative responses beyond simple answers.
SKT also upgraded its own Large Language Model (LLM) to enable users to engage in a multi-turn dialogue. The model can understand the context of a conversation and grasp complex intentions, thereby creating a more logical and useful conversation.
Furthermore, through a joint development project with Scatter Lab, an AI startup known for the Lee Lu-da chatbot, SKT has introduced its new AI agents named ‘A. friends’ to bring colourful personas to its improved ‘A.’
‘A. friends’ are applied with conversational AI technology that enables emotional and human-like conversations. By engaging in conversations with ‘A. friends’, users can receive counselling and advice on a wide variety of topics. The feature is available on Android with the iOS version coming at the end of July.
In addition, to enable more customers to experience generative AI, SKT eased the age limit for signing up for ‘A.’ so that those under 14 years of age can join the service.
“With the massive overhaul of ‘A.’, we expect more customers to feel comfortable and enjoy using our conversational AI,” said Kim Yong-hun, Vice President and Head of AI Service Business Office. “We will continue to evolve ‘A.’ into a service that can help customers in their daily lives in all kinds of ways.”
How is the AI changing the telecoms world? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam
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“All stakeholders from across the industry will need to work together, exploring innovative ways to connect people, homes, industries, machines, and vehicles. We will have to create new value with 5G to unleash digital dividends as it delivers higher traffic, more extensive connectivity, more reliable latency, and ubiquitous cloud services and intelligent applications,” says Li Peng, Corporate Senior Vice President, President of the Carrier BG at Huawei. He was delivering address, Creating New Value with 5G to unleash Digital Dividends at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2023.
Modernizing networks to meet evolving consumer demands
A key reason for the growing 5G adoption is the ever-growing demand for new experiences in the consumer market. This is fostering innovation in this segment leading to the development of new forms of content and application, which are expected to drive future growth.
“To meet these high demands, the Chinese carriers have been promoting new applications like New Calling, cloud phones, and naked-eye 3D. New Calling helps carriers better connect consumers using video-based calls. The application facilitates communication in both personal and professional settings, making remote work easier. A single New Calling user can generate over 1 GB of data per week,” explains Li Peng.
On the other hand, cloud phones are being used in China to support cloud gaming, mobile office and more. Naked-eye 3D helps users enjoy higher-definition content from more perspectives. This application’s value chain is rapidly maturing, and the traffic generated by naked-eye 3D content will see a three-to-ten-fold increase compared with 2D videos.
However, for service providers to deliver these innovative applications requires them to upgrade their networks to deliver 10Gbps connectivity.
“Spectrum resources will have a big role to play in this network upgrade. The industry needs access to new frequency bands, including the 6 GHz and mmWave bands, as well as sub-100 GHz spectrum for 5G New Radio,” says Li Peng. Huawei has conducted field tests to demonstrate that a 10Gbps downlink speed can be achieved on the 6GHz band with the help of Extremely Large Aperture Arrays (ELAA). Even so, the growing digital ecosystem means that the demand for new 5G frequency bands will continue to grow as new applications emerge.
“There needs to be more 5G chips, IoT modules, and devices that support new spectrum bands. More efforts will be needed to pilot new applications around the world,” he adds.
This ever-increasing demand for improved experiences in the home segment means that the telcos would need to improve user experience.
“We believe the smart home market will develop rapidly in the next decade. To help carriers maximize the potential of this market, we launched 5G FWA Square solutions. We have FWA Pro for ultrafast connectivity, FWA Lite for cost-effective connectivity, and FWA Biz for the highly reliable connectivity required in industrial scenarios,” elaborated Li Peng.
Huawei is also working with carriers to explore FTTR [Fiber-to-the-Room] innovation and drive technology and business upgrade. This enables carriers to provide gigabit Wi-Fi connections to all parts of the premises without impacting the quality, paving the way for the telcos to adopt an innovative business model. “Early adopters of FTTR have already seen more than 30% increase in the ARPU of their home broadband services as well as a huge drop in their churn rate,” explains Li Peng.
Accelerating digital transformation of the enterprises with 5G
Unlike the previous technologies, 5G is helping enterprises accelerate digitalization and use it to grow production and efficiency. Huawei has helped conduct a trial of the industry’s first 5.5 G-enabled production line. The trial demonstrated that the 5.5G deterministic network guaranteed ultra-high reliability and reduced latency to 4 milliseconds in a high-concurrency environment.
Growing importance of 5.5G
“Customers will require new services and experiences in new scenarios, so carriers will need to upgrade their networks to 5.5G, in order to support 10 Gbps downlink, 1 Gbps uplink, and 100 billion IoT connections. 5.5G will open up unlimited opportunities for carriers,” says Li Peng. The industry is moving towards this with the 3GPP’s Release 18, the first standard for 5.5G to be released in the first half of 2024.
All the industry stakeholders will need to work together to drive the adoption of 5.5G to spur innovation in this segment and to be able to maximize the revenue potential of this technology.
This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Todd Kuty, Director Customer Service Telecoms, IQGeo
The telecom industry has embraced ground-breaking solutions to meet the growing demand for internet connectivity. In a world where people work remotely, communicate digitally and increasingly consume online, fiber broadband and 5G technology have become a critical role in bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable high-speed internet access. … [visit site to read more]
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Today, South Korea’s largest mobile operator, SK Telekom (SKT), has announced it will take a roughly 2% stake in UAM specialist Joby Aviation for $100 million.
Joby is currently developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with which it aims to ultimately provide commercial urban air travel. The aircraft will reportedly have a range of 241km and will be able to reach speeds of up 322km/h.
Joby is aiming to launch the vehicle in the US – the company’s home market – in 2024.
SKT first partnered with Joby in February last year, with the operator pledging to provide the prospective aerial taxis with connectivity and its nationwide ride-sharing app TMAP. By September, the SKT had announced a pilot programme on Jeju Island with the K-UAM Dream Team Consortium, which also included defence and IT specialist Hanwha Systems, the Korea Meteorological Institute, and Korea Airports Corporation (KAC), the national airport authority.
This consortium aims to participate in the South Korean government’s K-UAM Grand Challenge, a competition created to demonstrate the safety of UAM flight and find the country’s first official UAM operator.
With this direct investment in Joby, SKT is demonstrating its further commitment to this goal, hoping to leverage its national network and ridesharing experience.
“We will do our utmost to promote the demonstration and commercialization of urban air mobility in Korea, based on our partnership with Joby Aviation,” said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT. “This technology promises to greatly reduce customers’ travel time and we look forward to turning Korea into a mobility powerhouse.”
“Our partnership with SKT places Joby in the best possible position to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the Korean market, where we continue to see a strong drive from the government to realize aerial ridesharing,” added JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “We’re grateful for SKT’s commitment to Joby and look forward to working with them as we develop a transformational air taxi service for Korea.”
SKT is targeting the launch of commercial flying taxis by 2025.
From autonomous driving to flying taxis, what role will mobile connectivity play in the transport infrastructure of the future? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam
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Today, the City of Bellevue, recognized as one of the top cities in the nation for digital innovation, and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced the launch of a joint project that uses network-based Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology and T-Mobile 5G to provide near real-time communications between cars, traffic infrastructure and vulnerable road users ― including pedestrians and cyclists.
This is all in support of Bellevue’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate road-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. To help achieve this goal, T-Mobile will provide cellular connectivity, C-V2X equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, technical integration and end-to-end testing. The City of Bellevue will utilize these assets to implement and evaluate various C-V2X use cases designed to detect and protect individuals on the road.
The project will leverage T-Mobile’s award-winning 5G network to establish reliable and low-latency connections, enabling vehicles and traffic infrastructure to exchange information and notifications about pedestrians and cyclists in near real-time ― even in situations that are beyond visual line of sight. The City of Bellevue and T-Mobile will also make a mobile app available for Bellevue road users to download. This app will provide drivers with early visual and audible warnings about potentially harmful road interactions, contributing to increased safety and awareness on the road. At launch, C-V2X will be used in scenarios involving reduced speed zones, school zone flashing beacons, mid-block pedestrian crossings and signalized intersections.
“We are continually looking for ways technology can improve the daily lives of our Bellevue residents, workers and visitors,” said Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. “Moving people safely from place to place using intelligent transportation systems is critical as we work toward achieving our ultimate goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on city streets. T-Mobile has been a valuable partner for the Bellevue community, helping us push the possibilities. We’re thrilled to roll out this C-V2X technology pilot and to continue making strides in safety for all users.”
“We are in a fortunate position that empowers us to help make cities safer, starting right within our own community,” said John Saw, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile. “With our advanced network technology, valuable intellectual property and strong partner ecosystem, we have the extraordinary capacity to enhance the safety and well-being of our fellow citizens. And our vision extends beyond Bellevue as we aspire to positively impact our country and contribute to a safer world.”
Moreover, as a testament to this proactive endeavor, T-Mobile embraces and supports the U.S. Department of Transportation National Roadway Safety Strategy Allies in Action campaign in partnership with the City of Bellevue. This collaborative effort showcases a shared commitment to bridging public and private sectors to help reduce fatalities and severe injuries on America’s roadways.
These C-V2X solutions and early prototyping were developed at T-Mobile’s innovation center, the 5G Hub, located in Bellevue’s Spring District. It’s here that T-Mobile works with partners and developers to create new solutions leveraging the latest in wireless technologies.
T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most awarded 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers 326 million people across 2 million square miles – more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 275 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and the Un-carrier plans to reach 300 million people with Ultra Capacity – nearly everyone in the country – this year.
What role will 5G play in the advent of connected vehicles and autonomous driving? Join the operators in discussion at Connected America
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What’s in a name? Trials and tribulations of being an altnet
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One of the bigger infrastructure deals of the year has officially closed, and six familiar brands have been replaced by just one. Following BAI Communications’ purchase of ZenFi, the company has rolled ZenFi, Mobilitie, BAI Communications, Signal Point Systems, Transit Wireless, and Vilicom together under the single banner of Boldyn Networks. … [visit site to read more]
