LG surpasses $10 mil. in 5G content sales
Kim Jun-hyung, right, head of the 5G service group at LG U+, with Choi Yoon-ho, head of the company's AR and VR service, after completing an export deal for its 5G content with Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom via video conference at its office in Magok-dong, western Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of LG U+
LG supplies 5G VR content to Taiwan's top mobile carrier
By Baek Byung-yeul
LG U+ is successfully diversifying its business portfolio, securing export deals to supply its fifth-generation (5G) network-based content and technological support to overseas telecommunications companies, the company said Thursday.
The mobile carrier of LG Group said it will supply its 5G virtual reality (VR) and multi-view technology to Taiwan's largest telecommunications company Chunghwa Telecom.
LG said this is its fourth export deal, after supplying 5G content to China Telecom last year, and Hong Kong Telecom and Japan's KDDI this year. It said it has exported 5G content products worth $10 million.
Since launching the world's first commercial 5G network in April last year, the company has heavily invested in developing more content that runs on the super-fast network that guarantees low latency and speeds up to 100 times faster than the fourth-generation network.
Under the latest deal, LG will supply about 180 items of VR content, mainly K-pop performances. LG has secured more than 1,500 VR content items running on 5G including K-pop, games, comics, sports games, movies and travel. They are available in 3D 4K ultra-high-definition resolution.
Chunghwa Telecom is Taiwan's first telecommunications company to obtain a license to operate a 5G network there, according to the National Communications Commission of Taiwan. The company is expected to launch its service in July.
LG said the deal came after Chunghwa Telecom showed interest in its 5G content and service. “Chunghwa Telecom sent its technicians to LG U+ in January to carry out research activities of our content business,” LG U+ said. “They visited the 5G content-creating production studio and experienced augmented reality (AR) and VR content as well.
“For the past few months, the two companies worked on choosing the very best content for Taiwanese consumers through emails and video conferences.”
Besides the 5G content LG has already produced, other K-pop content that is on the air will be supplied to Chunghwa Telecom. LG also agreed to provide technical information about VR in real-time.
Chunghwa Telecom's mobile business group president Ching Ming-shih said the strategic partnership between LG and Chunghwa “will help connect Taiwan with the broader 5G entertainment industry scene.”
“By developing more VR and concert performances that provide the multi-angle view feature, we will try to meet consumers' demand for the new digital entertainment service,” Ching said.
LG U+expects to secure more 5G content supply deals with overseas mobile carriers this year. “So far, more than 30 overseas telecommunications companies have visited LG U+ and showed interest in our 5G network-based content,” Choi Yoon-ho, head of AR and VR services at LG U+, said.
“By upgrading our 5G network-related services, we will make this year the first year of our 5G-based content going abroad.”