Telecom heads to discuss 5G, AI at MWC
Heads of the nation’s three mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — will fly to Barcelona to join the world’s largest mobile trade show, the key themes of which include the fifth-generation (5G) network and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 opens next week in the Spanish city and the top-three telecom operators here will unveil their latest achievements in the two core tech areas.
SK Telecom, the largest among them in terms of profit, will show- case what it calls “telepresence technology,” enabling people in different locations to gather at a virtual place by using holograms and augmented reality (AR).
“The VR technology creates an avatar, allowing participants for the telepresence communication to feel like they are in the same venue,” an SK Telecom spokesman said.
Despite its infancy, the company hyped up the massive growth potential for the emerging technology in areas such as medical diagnosis and maintenance for manufacturing facilities.
“By using the tech, a group of doctors from different areas can join hands to analyze data from patients about complicated body organs,” the official said. “The same goes for manufacturing industry players, as they can conduct a real-time discussion by using three-dimensional (3D) structural images of machines.”
KT, the second-largest carrier here, is set to promote its achievements for the coming 5G era.
In particular, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu on Monday will deliver an opening keynote address. Details have not been unveiled, but expectations are he will discuss how so-called “intelligent networks” will transform people’s lives in the 5G era, which is expected to begin in 2020.
He has been a strong supporter of the emerging network concept: the convergence of people and internet of things (IoT) devices. Under the same theme, he gave a speech to Harvard University students last September. He said then that the intelligent network will offer infinite opportunities and change the world, as it can connect billions of devices and people more conveniently.
Hwang is also expected to explain the firm’s aggressive investment and achievements in the 5G network. The company plans to showcase a series of 5G trial services at next year’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics, including AR-converged location guide services and live broadcasts using 360-degree virtual reality (VR).