Joint Workshop in Beijing Attended by Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu and Chairman Xiang Bing and Other Top-Level Executives
Commitment to Joint Efforts in Building IoT Cooperation Framework and Exploring Business Opportunities Including Cross-Launch of IoT Products

KT and China Mobile, representative telecommunications operators of Korea and China, came together to discuss the future of telecommunications.

KT announced that it held a workshop on March 31 (local time) at China Mobile's headquarters in Beijing, China, attended by top-level executives from both companies, including KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu and China Mobile Chairman Xiang Bing.

During this workshop, KT and China Mobile engaged in in-depth discussions on 5G and Internet of Things (IoT), which have emerged as key topics in telecommunications, and discussed roaming cooperation plans between Korea and China. Additionally, KT drew attention by introducing differentiated technologies such as Giga Wire and Giga LTE to China Mobile executives.

KT and China Mobile share a common denominator in the "5G Olympics." As KT will showcase the world's first 5G trial service at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the technology and know-how accumulated by KT is expected to be beneficial to the 5G service that China Mobile will provide at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Additionally, KT discussed cooperation with China Mobile on 5G technology standardization and development, and agreed to establish a joint cluster for 5G technology development for full-scale 5G technology cooperation and verification. Should the establishment be completed, it is anticipated to serve as a bridgehead for securing global leadership in 5G centered in Northeast Asia in the future.

Actively Promoting WiFi Roaming and VoLTE Roaming Commercialization in Preparation for Increased Visitors from Both Countries

In the IoT sector, both companies agreed to build a joint cooperation framework and make efforts to identify tangible business opportunities. To this end, KT proposed expanding the GiGA IoT Alliance in cooperation with China Mobile into a global IoT Alliance. Furthermore, both companies agreed to actively review cross-launch of their IoT products and to collaborate on IoT solution development.

KT and China Mobile agreed to prioritize cooperation in expanding WiFi roaming and commercializing VoLTE roaming in preparation for a significant increase in visitors from both countries as the Korea-China FTA officially took effect last December. Most importantly, the greatest achievement of this workshop was both companies' commitment to strengthening continuous cooperation in the future, and they agreed to make meetings between top-level executives regular.

KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu stated, "To expedite future telecommunications symbolized by 5G, cooperation among global telecommunications operators is of utmost importance," adding, "KT and China Mobile will play a leading role in the global telecommunications market beyond Northeast Asia through active and continuous cooperation."