SK Telecom showed a rebound in performance, recovering to the 500 billion won range on a quarterly basis, driven by the recovery of its wireless business and the growth of its artificial intelligence (AI) business. Increased subscribers and the expansion of its data center business served as key factors in the improvement of profitability.

SK Telecom announced on the 7th that it recorded consolidated revenue of 4.3923 trillion won, operating profit of 537.6 billion won, and net profit of 316.4 billion won in the first quarter of 2026. Revenue increased by 1.5% compared to the previous quarter, and operating profit surpassed the 500 billion won mark for the first time in a year.

The recovery in the wireless sector influenced the improvement in performance. In the first quarter, mobile phone subscribers recorded a net increase of approximately 210,000, and mobile telecommunications revenue also rose by 1.7% compared to the previous quarter. It is believed that user-convenience-focused strategies, such as membership restructuring and rate plan improvements, contributed to the expansion of subscribers. SK Broadband, which handles the wired business, also saw its revenue and operating profit increase by 3.2% and 21.4%, respectively, driven by the growth of high-speed internet.

The AI business also showed growth. Revenue from AI data centers was 131.4 billion won, an 89.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Increased data center utilization rates and the expansion of the business providing GPU resources as a service boosted performance. The company plans to strengthen the competitiveness of its overall AI infrastructure and expand its presence to meet growing global demand.

The future strategy is focused on expanding AI-centric businesses. The plan is to strengthen entry into the enterprise AI market and broaden the revenue base through a structure that combines telecommunications and AI services. To this end, a dedicated system has been established through organizational restructuring, and efforts are also being made to enhance the competitiveness of in-house AI services.

The shareholder return policy has also resumed. SK Telecom will pay a quarterly dividend of 830 won per share in the first quarter. The company stated that it intends to continue stable earnings improvement by strengthening its customer base and streamlining its AI business.