Local carriers vie for IoT leadership
Petfit, SK Telecom’s wearable device for dogs, measures their physical activity. Its light emitting diode (LED) display shows users how many calories their pets burned while wearing the device. / Courtesy of SK Telecom
By Lee Min-hyung
Local carriers are competing for the “lion’s share” to develop technology to be used within the framework of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Officials at SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said they have no option but to increase investment in IoT tech as mobile phone networks will have to handle much more traffic and many more connections.
IoT technology can easily require billions of new connections to sensors and machines, which will offer new business opportunities for carriers as the main issue for them is cutting their reliance on the saturated local telecom market by reaching out to territories that were untouched before.
The country’s leading carrier SK Telecom has identified the wearable device market as its next business territory. Its first in that strategy was an introduction of lifeware brand United Objects (UO), said company officials.
“‘Petfit,’ launched in April, is one of the company’s most creative and innovative wearable devices,” a SK Telecom spokesman said.
Once users hang the small device onto their dog’s leash, Petfit automatically measures their physical activity and the calories burned. Users can track their pet’s health by checking the colors on the device’s light emitting diode (LED) display.
Petfit, 4 centimeters wide and 1.5 centimeters long, is the world’s smallest wearable device for pets, weighing only 6.7 grams. The company says that’s why pets do not feel tired by wearing the device for a long time.
“By incorporating the existing pet industry with information and communication technology (ICT), the device is expected to create value for customers and pave the way for various business opportunities,” said Park Chul-soon, head of the company’s convergence business office, upon launching the device.
SK Telecom said the device is the result of its effort to support startups and was developed using the ideas of college students.
Enterprise for KT, ‘smart home’ for LG
KT meanwhile is teaming with Korea Railroad (KORAIL) to build a safe transportation network as KT believes its strengths in fixed-line networks could help the telco increase its share in the enterprise area.
The company is seeking to build a transportation service platform (TSP) by incorporating communication technology and big data on the road.
Last month, KT signed an agreement with Korea Railroad Research Institute to develop an effective traffic-control system. They agreed to work on building a platform to track trains and vehicles with dangerous materials in real-time.
“We will create more products by converging our IoT-based technology with other industries,” said Yoon Kyung-lim, head of KT’s future convergence business office. “The convergence with ICT will serve as a breakthrough to bring the communication market out of stagnation.”
Uplus, the smallest company among the three, plans to support moves by LG Electronics, in which the LG Group’s consumer electronics unit is on track to develop connected solutions among its appliances, with promoting the “smart home IoT” technology, said LG officials.
Uplus plans to introduce more than 10 home IoT-based services this year.
“We will excel in developing converged home IoT services, and provide new values to our customers with such services as Home Boy and Momca,” Uplus spokesman said.
Its home CCTV service “Momca,” released last year, comes with infrared LED camera, enabling users to monitor their home even late at night. The device also features a human body detecting sensor. When someone breaks into their home, a real-time alarming message is automatically sent to users’ smartphones.
On top of that, Momca helps users remotely control home appliances such as televisions or air conditioners. On July, the company released upgraded version of the device for small office/home office (SOHO) use.
The company has also unveiled its plan to expand the business into child care facilities, helping working parents dispel worries over their children.