KT partners China, Japan for 5G in MWC

By Kim Yoo-chul

KT has teamed up with global technology companies to show preparedness for superfast fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.

It will talk with the chief technology officers (CTO) of NTT DoCoMo of Japan and China Mobile on how best to collaborate over emerging telecom issues such as a new standard in the Internet of Things, officials said Tuesday.

“KT will be aggressive in finding strategic partners and proceeding with key tasks that the industry should address at the MWC. We will become a frontrunner in the heated race for 5G wireless technology as KT-initiated projects are being supported by top global telecom companies," a company official said.

The wireless technology standard of the future will be 5G, although 5G phones aren't expected to appear until 2020.

Officials said CTOs at China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo and KT ― all are the key members of the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement (SCFA) ― will have a meeting to launch a joint trial test for advanced wireless technology and hold talks for setting up a standard in 5G and Internet of Things during the fair.

“Members of SCFA will team up for joint marketing campaigns, if necessary. KT will lead the initiatives,” said another KT official.

KT Chairman and CEO Hwang Chang-gyu will deliver his keynote speech at the MWC. He will unveil the company’s new business strategy in a meeting with Korean reporters during the fair.

The Bundang, Gyeonggi Province-based outfit plans to release a statement for cooperation with Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm of the United States to push the so-called “hybrid long-term evolution (LTE) data-transmitting technology.”

This technology integrates different bandwidths into one, helping clients download data-heavy content with much faster speeds. Lee said more details will be coming out.

Since Hwang, a former Samsung Electronics president, took the top seat, the telecommunications giant has been consistent in highlighting the importance of telecom-oriented businesses and of the security for Internet of Things, which will connect different networks and require cloud-based and physical security to work together to produce actionable security intelligence in real time.

KT is on track to sell its none-core assets in order to improve its financial soundness as it plans to use the money it can save from selling unprofitable assets to find new opportunities in the telecom-oriented business arena.

For example, it has chosen Lotte Group as the preferred bidder to sell its car rental unit, which is worth about 1 trillion won.

“KT is restructuring its units and cutting the number of employees. The MWC would be the good chance for KT CEO Hwang to appeal his vision to global audience,” said unnamed KT official.