KT to expand satellite broadcast biz

KT Sat CEO Hahn Won-sik speaks during a press conference held at the company’s satellite management center in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday. / Courtesy of KT Sat

By Kim Yoo-chul

GEUMSAN, South Chungcheong Province -- KT Sat, the satellite service provider affiliated with KT, said Thursday it will expand its services to regions that previously were without coverage.

At a press conference held at its satellite management center here, CEO Hahn Won-sic said KT Sat will be teaming up with existing and new clients for greater network scalability and accessibility.

“Unlike the previous three industrial revolutions, the key difference today is that technological disruption is instantaneous and highly ubiquitous. Honestly, KT Sat wants to lead the move in establishing 5G-Satellite technology as an industry standard. Yes, this goal is challenging, but lots of projects are already in development,” he said.

Hahn added that the company's technology laboratory is working on commercializing quantum cryptography allowing secure communication. Quantum cryptography relies on a “one-time pad” to guarantee privacy. The pad is a set of random numbers -- a key -- that can only be used by two parties to encode and decode a message.

He didn't elaborate further. Quantum cryptography relies on individual photons to carry quantum information, but even the best optical fibers today can only carry these photons a few hundred kilometers before light dissipation makes the process impossible. Today's quantum cryptography is unavailable over much longer distances.

The CEO said KT Sat plans to utilize blockchain technology for satellite and maritime networks to protect data. Hahn said the company will talk with group affiliates to enhance the technology “on multiple fronts.”

KT Sat said demand for satellite services in South Asia remains solid following the successful launch of Koreasat 7, which now covers the Philippines, Indonesia and India among others.

“KT Sat plans to increase revenue that will be earned from outside Korea to 46 percent by the end of the year,” Hahn told reporters, adding the KA-band steerable beam technology inside Koreasat 7 provides high-resolution broadcasting and LTE services.

After the North Korea-U.S. summit, the firm also hopes to use its satellites to provide broadcasting services to residents in North Korea.

“Given the weak telecom and broadcasting infrastructure in North Korea, connecting residents between the two Koreas through a satellite network will be an effective tool to help North Koreans have a better understanding about South Korea,” he said. KT has been running a taskforce to support inter-Korean economic cooperation and expand exchanges in information and communications technology.

The Geumsan satellite center was opened in June 1970. The company said the center has become Asia's largest, operating 45 high-end antennas as of May this year. The center is classified as a national security facility.

KT Sat currently operates five Koreasat geostationary satellites, four of which give complete coverage of both Koreas. Of these, Koreasat 5, launched in 2006, is a dual-use satellite with 36 transponders, 12 of which belong to the Agency for Defense Development.

In a statement, KT Sat said it provides its satellite services to 22 clients in seven different countries as of 2017, up from 13 in three countries in 2015.