The first results in Africa in June 2016, a little over a year after the UNGC proposal.
Promoting cooperation between SMS sending systems and public safety big data

KT announced on the 29th (local time) that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Safaricom, Kenya's No. 1 telecommunications operator, on 'prevention of infectious disease spread using big data'.

The MOU, signed at Safaricom's headquarters in Nairobi, was observed by the KOTRA Nairobi office. With this, Safaricom Kenya has become the first global telecommunications operator to join KT's big data cooperation initiative to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Safaricom, the first telecommunications operator in the world to participate in preventing the spread of infectious diseases using big data, holds 71.2% (approximately 25 million people) of the Kenyan wireless telecommunications market. It is famous in the international community as a company implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as by introducing 'MPesa,' a mobile banking system needed by low-income groups in Kenya where banking facilities are poor, which has received high praise.

Under this MOU, KT and Safaricom will cooperate on the establishment of a text message (SMS) sending system to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and on big data. With the active cooperation of the Kenyan Ministry of Health and KOTRA, the two companies will establish a "Korean-style infectious disease spread prevention model utilizing roaming big data (SMS sending system)." KT will provide technical support and consulting to Safaricom for the construction of the related system.

KT and Safaricom agreed to pursue big data cooperation in various fields, including health, education, agriculture, green energy, public safety, and intelligent transportation systems, in addition to collaboration to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. KOTRA, which attended the event, plans to provide multifaceted support for KT and Safaricom's big data-based infectious disease prevention project. Furthermore, KOTRA intends to contribute to job creation and economic revitalization in both countries by supporting the local expansion of large and small domestic enterprises during the system implementation process.

Above all, this MOU is noteworthy as the first response to KT's proposal to prevent the global spread of infectious diseases by utilizing big data. At the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Leaders Summit 2016 held in New York in June 2016, KT proposed "joint cooperation on big data to prevent the spread of infectious diseases" to the United Nations, various governments, and global telecommunications operators. As a follow-up to this, KT and the UNGC signed an MOU in September 2016 to promote a project utilizing big data to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Africa is being identified as the epicenter of infectious diseases that have swept the world due to its hot and humid climate and poor medical infrastructure. Nairobi International Airport (Jomo Kenyatta), which is within Safaricom's service area, is the largest airport in East Central Africa and is one of the major gateways to the African continent. As a hub airport connecting Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, it is expected to play a significant role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases through the use of big data.

KT President and Head of Business Support Koo Hyun-mo said, “As we have taken the first step in earnest to prevent the spread of infectious diseases using big data, we will provide Safaricom with KT’s cutting-edge network technology capabilities to ensure the success of the project. Starting with this project, we will strive to contribute to solving Kenya’s immediate challenges by promoting big data collaboration with Safaricom in various fields such as health, education, agriculture, and green energy.”