SK Telecom is moving to become a key internet of things (IoT) player by continuously widening its network footprint with energy-efficient wireless technology LoRa.
The plan comes as part of the firm's next cash cow, as the IoT platform business is expected to serve as its long-term revenue source amid the slowdown in the local telecom market.
To speed up its IoT leadership, the nation's largest mobile carrier plans to distribute some 100,000 LoRa-based IoT modules across the country by the end of this year. In June, SK Telecom finished establishing nationwide LoRa IoT network infrastructure, and the firm has since focused on developing and offering as many modules as possible to increase the market here.
"SK Telecom is making all-out efforts to grab an upper hand in the promising IoT industry, planning to launch growing numbers of LoRa-based IoT services down the road," the company said. According to the firm, the local IoT market will be worth some 13.7 trillion won ($11.3 billion) in 2020.
The company expects the LoRa ecosystem to help local small and medium enterprises (SME) and startups specializing in technology and networks because the LoRa module is five times cheaper than existing ones using the long-term-evolution (LTE) network, according to SK Telecom. The firm has so far distributed IoT modules to some 500 venture firms and developers free of charge in its bid to vitalize the LoRa ecosystem.
As the new IoT technology is much more energy efficient, LoRa is often cited as the best alternative network solution to transmit small amounts of data over long distances at a cheaper price. For this reason, SK Telecom believes the next LoRa IoT ecosystem will help local industry save enormous amounts of money in the long term.
The LoRa network is expected to be more widely used in such areas as smart metering systems for households and remote-monitoring services, the company said. This is not just good for the economy, but can also help upgrade the nation's social security network systems. For instance, the company predicts the LoRa system will be used for children or the elderly with dementia.
SK Telecom has particularly teamed with a local startup to launch a LoRa-based location-tracking device called Gper. The company installed the device in school buses, allowing parents to track their children's location in real time.
SK Telecom is also in talks with a local logistics firm to expand the business-to-business (B2B) presence of the LoRa ecosystem.
Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2016/12/133_220991.html