| SKT-MS, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
| Combining technological capabilities such as 5G, AI, and cloud
| Promoting the combination of SKT products and services with MS products SK Telecom announced on the 13th that it will strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Microsoft in advanced ICT fields such as 5G, AI, and cloud.
From left, SKT President Park Jung-ho and MS CEO Satya Nadella
SK Telecom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Microsoft for the Joint Innovation Program (JIP), a comprehensive strategic partnership program for SK Telecom to discover sustainable and innovative business opportunities in various fields.
Through this collaboration, the two companies plan to combine their technological capabilities in 5G, AI, and cloud to jointly pursue IoT businesses such as smart factories, strengthening AI technology and service competitiveness, media and entertainment services, and innovation in the way SK ICT family companies work.
The focus of this collaboration is to integrate Microsoft’s cloud and AI technologies with SK Telecom’s new ICT technologies such as 5G and AI. Through this collaboration, SK Telecom plans to present differentiated products and services that will become ‘game changers’ in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
First, the two companies will jointly pursue IoT businesses such as smart factories.
The two companies have already signed a strategic business partnership in February to develop and update Metatron, a technology platform developed by SK Telecom to help collect, analyze, and visualize big data, on Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure, and to jointly advance services and market them. They plan to expand their cooperation to various IoT business areas, including smart factories, in the future and jointly seek new business opportunities.
They will also explore ways to cooperate to strengthen AI technology and service competitiveness. The two companies plan to develop differentiated products and services in areas such as AI speakers and corporate solutions by combining the capabilities of SK Telecom’s AI platform ‘NUGU’ and Microsoft’s AI platform ‘Cortana’.
They will also seek innovation to create new experiences in the media and entertainment sectors. The two companies plan to continue discussions to discover new business opportunities in the media and entertainment sectors by combining SK Telecom’s 5G network and media business capabilities with Microsoft’s cloud competitiveness.
We are also joining forces to innovate the way we work. SK Telecom plans to introduce Microsoft’s business collaboration platform ‘Microsoft 365’ and benchmark cases of corporate culture innovation to promote innovation in the way we work and spread this to SK ICT family companies. Additionally, the two companies plan to provide new value to customers by combining SK Telecom’s products and services with devices and solutions such as Microsoft Surface and Office 365.
SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho said, “In order to lead the fiercely competitive 5G market, cooperation with global powerhouses like Microsoft is essential,” adding, “We will do our best to create unprecedented new value by combining the capabilities of both companies.”
“Through this strategic partnership with SK Telecom, Microsoft expects to play a key role in accelerating the digital transformation of the telecommunications industry based on our world-class network and technology,” said Jason Zander, executive vice president of Azure at Microsoft. “We will work together to provide customers with innovative and new services through the cloud and AI.”
