Korean telco KT Corporation announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Taiwan’s Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) to collaborate in 5G services and digital content development, the former said in a release.
The signing ceremony was conducted online due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, using KT’s “Engage,” a virtual meeting platform.
“We will seek mutual growth of our two companies and generate new revenue by incorporating KT’s 5G service operation know-how with FET’s customer base,” said Park Hyun-Jin, KT’s senior vice president and head of Customer Strategy Business Unit. “Through close consultations with FET, we will continue to expand cooperation across the entire scope of 5G network.”
“Through extensive cooperation with KT, we at FET aim to upgrade some 20% of our existing LTE subscribers to 5G within this year,” said FET Executive Vice President T. Y. Yin. “The Republic of Korea is a global 5G leader which commercialized next-generation service for the first time in the world, and KT is Korea’s representative telecom company possessing remarkable experience in service development and operational know-how in 5G technology.”
The agreement calls for joint development of 5G services and digital contents. KT expects the deal will facilitate worldwide sale of KT’s video conferencing app, which offers ultra-high-definition over-the-top (OTT) media streaming, as well as early commercialization of 5G roaming.
KT’s 5G video conference application software using 3D and AR technologies allows up to eight people to meet for a high-definition video conference. provider, is seen as an opportunity to become a market leader in next-generation wireless services.
In recent 5G spectrum auctions, FET secured 80 MHz and 400 MHz in both 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz spectrum bands. The Taiwanese operator aims to launch commercial 5G services in the third quarter of this year.
KT initially deployed its commercial 5G network in April last year.
As of February 2020, the operator had deployed a total of 71,000 5G base stations in 85 districts across the country.
The three Korean carriers launched limited 5G commercial services in December 2018 as part of an agreement with the ICT ministry to launch simultaneously to avoid excessive competition. The three mobile carriers initially launched the 5G service in limited areas in Seoul.
In June 2018, South Korea completed a tender process through which it awarded spectrum in both the 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz bands. The government made available a total of 280 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band and 2,400 megahertz in the 28 GHz band.