The Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) combines the four technology giants' resources in promoting, developing and commercialising advanced 5G technologies, including ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, enhanced multi-input multi-output, differentiated 28GHz technology, and standalone 5G network.
The South Korean telco will also conduct joint research and development activities with the three network equipment providers in the field of 6G mobile network technologies, with consultations resulting in draft technical requirements and new business models for 6G.
“Through strengthened cooperation with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom will be able to secure the world’s best 5G quality and lead the way towards 6G mobile network communications,” said Park Jin-hyo, CTO and head of the ICT R&D Centre of SK Telecom.
Ericsson recently released its latest mobility report, which showed that mobile data traffic is growing quickly in every region of the world at a rate of 42% a year and forecasted that 5G coverage will reach 45% of the world’s population by the end of 2024.
Commenting on the growth, Fredrik Jejdling, Ericsson’s executive vice president and head of networks, said: “5G is definitely taking off and at a rapid pace. This reflects the service providers’ and consumers’ enthusiasm for the technology.
“The full benefits of 5G can only be reaped with the establishment of a solid ecosystem in which technology, regulatory, security, and industry partners all have a part to play.”
For Nokia, the MoU supports its most recent announcement regarding its next generation data growth strategy, in which the Finnish multinational telco boasted more commercial 5G deals than any other vendor.
The new SK Telecom collaborations also follow another agreement last month with Microsoft, which will not only develop 5G, but also cloud and AI.
Learn more about what Capacity Media found to be the 10 leading 5G projects earlier this year.
