SKT teams up with Intel to improve IoT devices

SK Telecom Chief Technology Officer Choi Jin-sung, right, poses with Intel Software Solution Group Vice President Michael Greene during Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Tuesday local time. / Courtesy of SK Telecom

By Yoon Sung-won

SK Telecom said Wednesday it will cooperate with Intel in developing voice and video communication technologies for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

The nation's top mobile carrier said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel for the collaboration based on a web-based communication technology called "Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC)" during the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Tuesday local time. The two companies also agreed to distribute development kits to speed up the expansion of the global IoT device market.

"By providing software optimized for IoT devices, we will build an environment where customers can tap into Intel's technologies to the fullest," Intel Software Solution Group Vice President Michael Greene said. "Based on the two companies' IoT service development experiences and the WebRTC technology, we will push to develop and commercialize innovative IoT devices that can communicate in real time."

The WebRTC technology is designed to transfer voice and video data in real time on web browsers and is based on the next-generation web standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium.

With this technology, IoT devices will support voice and video communications even without smartphones. For instance, providers of online shopping and delivery services can tap into this technology for IoT devices that automatically receive orders, automating the entire process to improve customer experience, according to SK Telecom.

The two companies also plan to jointly develop WebRTC-based technologies for Intel's subminiature computing IoT module named "Edison," aiming at expanding the application range of WebRTC from personal computers and smartphones to more diverse IoT devices.

Earlier in December, SK Telecom introduced a technology called "PlayRTC," a modified and improved version of WebRTC, in Korea. The company said business clients will be able to launch communication services without investing much on expensive servers.

"We hope the PlayRTC technology will be adopted as a tool for innovation in diverse industrial areas," SK Telecom Executive Vice President Cha In-hyok said. "We will continue to cooperate with smaller partners in research and development to boost usability of IoT devices."

In June, SK Telecom reached an agreement with a Korean system software developer TOBESOFT to jointly develop and distribute IoT devices for fashion retail stores in the Dongdaemun area, eastern Seoul. The company has also provided the PlayRTC Technology to foreign startups including a Chinese education service provider HEYI since 2015.

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