LGU+ to expand global partnership on 5G

By Jun Ji-hye

LG Uplus will strengthen cooperation with global partners including the United States' Verizon to diversify businesses related to high-end fifth-generation (5G) networks, the head of the Korean telecom firm said Monday.

LG Uplus CEO Ha Hyun-hwoi said the firm's 5G partners will include the United Kingdom's Vodafone and Finland's Elisa as well as Verizon.

“Basically, the telecommunications business is focused on domestic competition, but it is also important to form alliances and partnerships with the world's leading companies to offer better services,” Ha said during a news conference with Korean reporters on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona.

“If necessary, services created through partnerships can go overseas. The telecommunications market is being changed in that way.”

He said 5G networks will be integrated with borderless over the top service, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), creating totally new services.

“We will establish cooperative relations with global players in the United States and Europe to explore differentiated services,” Ha said.

The comments came after the telecom firm announced a plan to jointly create VR content with Google during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Ha said his company will push to make joint investments with Verizon in developing 5G AR and VR games.

The Korean firm will also further enhance cooperation with Vodafone to explore 5G services and tap into new markets. The two firms signed a strategic partnership in 2017.

LG Uplus and Vodafone will hold conferences and forums regularly to share information on other countries' 5G preparations as well as strategies on the business-to-business area.

With Elisa, LG Uplus will sign a memorandum of understanding to nurture startups and push for networks automation.

The Korean firm will also enhance cooperation with Japanese mobile carriers on 5G B2B services such as drones.

Meanwhile, the CEO said his firm will focus on strengthening each of the roles of its internet protocol television unit and CJ Hello, the nation's largest cable television operator, for now, rather than pushing for the merger of the two entities.

On Feb. 14, LG Uplus signed a deal to acquire CJ Hello for 800 billion won ($711 million) in a bid to secure competitiveness in the rapidly changing subscription TV market.

“LG Uplus and CJ Hello operate different platforms,” Ha said. “I believe it is more important to maintain the identity of each platform for the time being and develop them further.”