What is SK Broadband AI 5 and why did it win major design awards?

AI 5 is SK Broadband’s set-top box for the B tv service. It won major design awards because the company designed it as a circular, matte-black home object with hidden buttons, a hidden logo, and a cleaner rear panel.

How did SK Broadband change the AI 5 set-top box design to make it look less like telecom equipment?

SK Broadband shifted most functions to AI voice controls and the on-screen interface, used a matte finish after testing different textures, and made the LED indicator smaller with five brightness levels to reduce glare at night. The company said the goal was to blend the device into everyday living spaces.

SK Broadband's AI set-top box sweeps major global design awards

Q: Which awards did SK Broadband AI 5 win and when were they announced?

The device won Japan’s Good Design Award last year, then Germany’s iF Design Award in March, Red Dot Design Award in April, and a main prize at the International Design Excellence Awards in August. SK Broadband described the result as a grand slam.

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Summary

SK Broadband’s AI 5 set-top box won four major global product design awards, which the company called a grand slam. The device, used with the B tv pay-television service, won Japan’s Good Design Award, Germany’s iF Design Award, Germany’s Red Dot Design Award and a main prize at the IDEA competition in the U.S. SK Broadband said the circular, matte-black design was meant to look like a home object rather than telecom equipment.

Key Facts

The AI 5 set-top box won Japan’s Good Design Award last year and three awards this year: Germany’s iF Design Award in March, Germany’s Red Dot Design Award in April and a main prize at IDEA in August.
SK Broadband said the device is used with its B tv pay-television service.
The company said it hid buttons and the logo, moved most functions to AI voice controls and the on-screen interface, and used a matte surface finish after testing different textures.
The rear panel was redesigned to make cables and ports look cleaner, and the LED indicator can be adjusted across five brightness levels.
SK Broadband is led by CEO Kim Sung-soo, and its Media Tech division said the company will continue pursuing customer-friendly devices that combine original design and technology.

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Published Sep 2, 2026 2:37 pm KST

SK Broadband's 'AI 5' set-top box / Courtesy of SK Broadband — SK Broadband's "AI 5" set-top box / Courtesy of SK Broadband

SK Broadband said Tuesday that its "AI 5" set-top box has won all four of the world's major product design awards, a feat the Korean telecom and media company called a "grand slam."

The device, used with SK Broadband's B tv pay-television service, won Japan's Good Design Award last year, followed this year by Germany's iF Design Award in March, Germany's Red Dot Design Award in April and a main prize at the International Design Excellence Awards, a U.S. competition known as IDEA, in August.

SK Broadband, led by CEO Kim Sung-soo, said the set-top box features a circular, matte-black design meant to minimize visible technology and blend into everyday living spaces as a "home object" rather than looking like typical telecom equipment.

The company said it deliberately hid buttons and a logo that are usually visible on top of set-top boxes, shifting most functions to artificial intelligence voice controls and the on-screen interface, and applied a matte surface finish after testing different textures to give the device an object-like feel distinct from typical electronics.

The rear panel, where cables and ports are concentrated, was also redesigned for a cleaner look, and the device's LED indicator was made adjustable across five brightness levels and kept to a small diameter to avoid glare during nighttime viewing.

SK Broadband said it plans to build on the award sweep by further pursuing a design strategy centered on blending customer-focused design with technology.

"This sweep of the world's four major design awards is the result of the product competitiveness and design capability we have pursued being recognized on the global stage," the head of SK Broadband's Media Tech division said, adding that the company will continue to roll out customer-friendly devices that reflect original design and technology.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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