Securing AR game content on next-generation AR glasses
| Jointly developing 5G AR services with Magic Leap
| Niantic and Next-Generation 5G Gaming Technology Collaboration

SK Telecom formed a global 5G alliance with world-leading AR companies at MWC19.
On the 26th (local time), SK Telecom signed strategic partnerships with AR device manufacturer Magic Leap and AR content company Niantic at Fira Gran Via, the main exhibition hall of MWC19, to jointly promote 5G business.

Through this partnership, SK Telecom has strengthened the competitiveness of its '5G killer services,' ranging from next-generation AR devices to AR game content.


Only domestic mobile carrier partners with Magic Leap, creator of AR glasses
SK Telecom's Head of MNO Business Division Yoo Young-sang and Magic Leap's CPO Omar Khan attended the partnership signing ceremony between SK Telecom and Magic Leap. Both companies stated that they have been pursuing cooperation at the top management level for several years and have finalized a concrete partnership agreement at MWC19.

Magic Leap is a renowned technology company in the field of next-generation devices, such as AR glasses. Founded in Florida, USA in 2010, the company is valued at approximately $6.4 billion (about 7.2 trillion won). It has also received a cumulative investment of $2.45 billion (about 2.8 trillion won) from global ICT companies such as Google, Alibaba, and AT&T.

In particular, the AR glasses 'Magic Leap One' released by Magic Leap last year are being evaluated as a next-generation device that will replace smartphones.
Magic Leap partners with one carrier in each country. Through this partnership, we will cooperate with SK Telecom in Korea.

The two companies agreed to cooperate in various fields, including the joint development of 5G AR services and business models, joint R&D of 5G and AR technologies, securing content for the AR ecosystem, and supporting the Korean AR developer community.

SK Telecom has agreed to the exclusive distribution of Magic Leap's next-generation AR device in Korea.

The ultimate goal of the collaboration between the two companies is to pursue various businesses, including entertainment, commerce, social communities, and B2B, within the 'Digital World,' a hybrid space of the real and virtual worlds realized through AR.

Users wearing AR glasses can ▲ place multiple virtual extra-large TVs simultaneously in their living room and turn their heads to watch the channels they want, ▲ receive easy navigation by combining with the real world in shopping malls, and ▲ view menus in 3D and make reservations without entering a store.

In addition, unskilled workers can work efficiently by following work guides displayed as AR on actual objects at industrial sites, which can dramatically increase industrial productivity.

To realize the vision of both companies, SK Telecom provides Magic Leap with 5G-related technologies, the '5G Hyper Space Platform (eSpace)' which virtually replicates the real world, and the 'T Real Platform' which enables the free creation and sharing of AR content. We are also working to connect the Korean AR content ecosystem with Magic Leap's ecosystem.
Both companies expect to launch high-quality services by leveraging the characteristics of 5G, such as ultra-high speed, ultra-low latency data transmission, and hyper-connectivity, and to jointly pioneer the market for next-generation devices, such as 'AR glasses,' which will succeed the PC and smartphone eras.

Magic Leap CPO Omar Khan stated, “5G will be able to accelerate the realization of both companies’ vision of ‘creating greater value through the connection of the real and virtual worlds.’”


Partners with Niantic, creator of Pokémon GO, for AR content
SK Telecom's Head of MNO Business Division Yoo Young-sang and Niantic CEO John Hanke attended the signing of the strategic alliance between SK Telecom and Niantic.

Niantic is an AR content company that spun off from Google in 2010, and it launched the AR game 'Pokémon GO' in 2016, growing into a unicorn company with annual revenue of $1 billion (approximately 1.12 trillion won).

Through this collaboration, the two companies will pursue joint R&D and service launches in the future, including partnerships for 5G AR content, the development of new game technologies utilizing 5G characteristics, and the establishment of location-based AR platforms. We also plan to pursue domestic joint marketing partnerships for Niantic's upcoming new games.

SK Telecom has maintained a strong cooperative relationship with Niantic since starting a domestic marketing partnership for 'Pokémon GO' in 2017. Through the collaboration on free data for 'Pokémon GO,' both companies reduced the annual data burden by over 200TB and achieved the effect of exposing the SK Telecom brand more than 5 million times a month within the game.

Niantic CEO John Hanke stated, “We have created an opportunity to generate synergy and expand the market through cooperation with SK Telecom in the rapidly growing 5G AR business.”

"We have established a close cooperative framework with global AR companies ahead of the launch of 5G smartphones," said Yoo Young-sang, Head of SK Telecom's MNO Business Division. "We will provide customers with advanced AR and VR experiences in the era of 5G mass adoption."