SK Telecom to deploy 5G service in the Philippines

Shim Sang-soo, center, head of infrastructure business at SK Telecom, poses with Thomas Aquino, left, chairman of NOW Corporation, and Mel V. Velarde, chairman of NOW Telecom, after signing an MOU to launch 5G service in the Philippines in Manila, Oct. 24. / Courtesy of SK Telecom

By Baek Byung-yeul

SK Telecom will cooperate with a Philippine mobile carrier to launch a commercial fifth-generation (5G) network service in the Philippines, the company said Sunday.

The telecommunications arm of SK Group said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippines' NOW Corporation and its affiliate NOW Telecom Thursday to establish a 5G network and various services using the super-fast network in Manila.

Based in Manila, Now Corporation has been providing high-speed internet, IPTV, software and business-to-business services in the Philippines and its affiliate Now Telecom plans to expand its business portfolio into the next-generation mobile network service.

Taking advantage of SK Telecom's cutting-edge 5G technologies, SK will provide 5G-related technological consulting and supply in-building 5G technologies and 5G-enabled enterprise applications to NOW.

"This partnership with SK Telecom will help produce a more defined business strategy for NOW and its execution programs for the next five to 10 years as the country begins to embrace 5G and its various applications," NOW said.

The two will develop a step-by-step plan to execute the commercial 5G services in the Philippines before the end of this year.

In detail, SK Telecom will help produce a more defined roadmap for 5G deployment, design a network infrastructure and offer an education program about 5G technology by the first half of 2020.

The mobile carrier will later offer consulting service to help NOW build an infrastructure for 5G standalone network, which is faster than non-standard method and develop business-to-business services using 5G network. The consulting also includes advising NOW on choosing network equipment providers.

The MOU with NOW Corporation is part of its plan to export 5G technology to other countries, SK Telecom said.

"Since we launched the world's first 5G service, we have been in talks with overseas mobile carriers to launch 5G services in other countries in Europe and Southeast Asia," said Shim Sang-soo, head of the infra business of the mobile carrier.

The company added the partnership could bring another business opportunity to Korean network equipment makers as well. "We will also try to help Korea's small but mighty equipment companies make inroads into overseas markets," Shim said.

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