SK Telecom (CEO Yoo Young-sang) is working to advance defense drone technology, and the operational range and operational stability of military drones are expected to be dramatically improved.

On the 15th, SKT signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Funjin, Conan Technology, Contella, and Practory at the SKT Namsan building in Seoul for the development of a military communications relay drone.

Communication relay drones serve the role of connecting wireless communications so that attack and reconnaissance drones can carry out stable operations even in areas where communication is difficult.

Currently, the military is utilizing high-frequency 5G, but due to the limited operational radius, a low-frequency-based alternative has been required.

The communication relay drone to be developed through this agreement is expected to utilize low frequencies such as 800MHz of commercial networks to improve radio wave reach and diffraction, and enable stable communication even in urban environments.

In particular, by applying handover technology and operating multiple relay drones alternately, even if one is shot down, it is possible to immediately connect to another drone, greatly increasing operational stability.

In this development, SK Telecom is developing wireless lines, handover technology, and real-timeThe drone's real-time video is transmitted to the rear pilot through the time-lapse video control system (T Livecaster), and Funjin provides drone wireless quality measurement and AI technology.

Conan Technologies develops and collaborates with Edge Tactical Equipment to provide satellite communication-based mobile base station solutions.

Practory develops mini PC-based 5G core and communication equipment.

These companies possess unrivaled technological prowess in their respective fields, and SKT and Practory secured a 5G communication equipment solution through a 2022 National Intelligence Service (NIA) project.

Pungjin holds a patent for drone wireless quality measurement, and Conan Technology is pursuing the commercialization of edge equipment based on its experience in verifying military firepower operation systems.

Contela secured satellite-based mobile base station technology through a project with the Korea Forest Service last year.

Kim Kyung-deok, head of SKT's Enterprise Business Division, said, "This agreement will be an opportunity to combine each company's unique technologies to implement a military communications relay drone and dramatically expand the drone's operational radius." He added, "We will contribute to strengthening national defense capabilities by applying commercial network technology to defense communications."