ICT minister, telecom CEOs pledge trust, cheaper 5G, AI network investment

Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, second from left, poses with LG Uplus CEO Hong Bum-shik, left, SK Telecom CEO Jung Jai-hun, third from left, and KT CEO Park Yoon-young during a meeting in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon and the CEOs of three major telecom companies — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — issued a joint declaration Thursday, pledging to restore public trust, deliver tangible benefits such as cheaper 5G plans and expanded service, and ramp up investment in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered networks to secure the nation’s digital future.

The minister met with the CEOs in Seoul to discuss how the industry can rebuild public trust following a series of data breach incidents last year, and pursue future growth amid a rapidly changing communications environment.

The meeting marked the first gathering between the minister and industry heads since the new CEOs of SK Telecom and KT officially took office.

Discussions centered around three key areas: restoring trust, improving affordability and driving AI network investments. Based on the discussions, the ministry and CEOs adopted a joint declaration, reaffirming their commitment to industrywide reform.

“The hacking incidents last year made it all the more clear how serious the responsibility and role of telecom operators truly are … It is now time to move beyond promises to not repeat past mistakes and deliver a transformation the public can genuinely feel, through real reform and contribution,” the minister said in his opening remarks.

“It is crucial that the telecom industry not only helps guarantee universal access to basic communications, but also takes the lead in shaping the future of an AI-powered society through proactive investment.”

Bae urged the companies to prioritize cybersecurity by fundamentally shifting their security paradigm and cooperating with authorities on implementing measures for digitally vulnerable users, such as consultation and reporting systems under the revised Digital Inclusion Act, which will take effect in April next year.

Addressing consumer affordability, the three telecoms agreed to work closely with the government to guarantee access to basic communications, such as expanding free voice and text services for seniors and rolling out low-budget mobile plans for 5G service priced in the 20,000 won ($13.51) range.

The carriers also pledged to accelerate Wi-Fi upgrades in public infrastructure, such as upgrading LTE to 5G on the subway, and enhance service quality on high-speed rail.

The minister urged telecoms to use their platforms to develop AI-based public services, leveraging proprietary language models to help achieve the government’s vision for an AI-enabled society.

Bae also stressed that next-generation intelligent network investment is not optional but essential as the backbone of the AI era.

The government shared it plans to actively support large-scale R&D and pilot projects to drive early demand, calling on telecom leaders to expand their investments in AI data centers and next-generation communication infrastructure.

“We will make these agenda discussions a regular fixture to ensure they do not remain one-off talks, and strengthen public-private cooperation so that tangible results the public can truly feel are carried out seamlessly in the field,” Bae said.