| Data transfer process shortened from four steps to two.
5G data communication latency reduced by up to 60%
Open to external companies on the MEC platform, providing open APIs.

SK Telecom has built a data transmission shortcut into its 5G network. Companies seeking to leverage 5G's capabilities to create next-generation services can now collaborate and utilize this shortcut.
SK Telecom announced on the 14th that it is building a 'Mobile Edge Computing Open Platform (MEC)' that will dramatically increase 5G data communication response speed and providing it to its partners.

MEC creates a data transmission shortcut to minimize potential delays during transmission. It reduces transmission distances by installing small data centers at 5G base stations or exchanges.

Typically, transmitting data from a customer's 5G smartphone to an internet data center takes at least four steps, but MEC technology reduces this process to as few as two. This reduces data latency by up to 60%.

SK Telecom is opening its MEC platform to external parties to enable its partners to more easily provide related services. Developers can improve customer service quality by linking services requiring ultra-low latency characteristics with SK Telecom's MEC platform.

For example, applying MEC to smart factories can improve the response speed of various 5G-powered robots. MEC technology is also expected to be useful in applications requiring extreme response speeds, such as AR/VR services, cloud gaming, autonomous driving, vehicle control, and real-time broadcasting.

In addition, SK Telecom provides an open API (Application Programming Interface) to enable partners to receive various data and functions necessary for service development.

SK Telecom is already pursuing MEC platform collaborations with various companies. Following the unveiling of an industrial AR service utilizing MEC with Deutsche Telekom subsidiary Mobile Edge X at MWC19, the company is also collaborating with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an international association led by Facebook, to foster an MEC developer ecosystem. Furthermore, the company is in discussions with Niantic, famous for "Pokemon GO," to apply MEC technology to a new AR game, and is exploring collaborations with various cloud gaming, AR/VR services, and cloud providers.

SK Telecom plans to provide MEC platform APIs on its developer support site, 'T Developers,' and open the 'SKT MEC Developer Center' in its Bundang office building in the first half of the year to provide technical support.

Park Jin-hyo, head of SK Telecom's ICT Technology Center, said, "By opening the MEC platform to the outside world, we have laid the foundation to expand the related ecosystem and accelerate the launch of 5G services. We will continue to expand MEC-based services through cooperation with various companies at home and abroad."