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Telecom operator with a global actor of AI and quantum
Long leader in telecommunications in South Korea, SK Telecom is no longer defined as a simple mobile operator. Faced with the erosion of the margins and the stagnation of the telecoms market, the company accelerates its transformation towards artificial intelligence, quantum IT and new generation datacenters. With a restructuring in Seven divisionsof which four dedicated to AI, SK Telecom now places artificial intelligence at the heart of its development. The company invests massively in the optimization of 5G and 6G networks, automation of customer interactions, quantum cybersecurity and strengthens its infrastructure via strategic partnerships covering the entire technological value chain.
AI as a lever for growth market for Korean telecom market
The transition to AI does not only concern SK Telecom. The entire South Korean telecommunications market is under pressure. In 2024, the three main players in the sector, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplusrecorded a combined operational benefit from 2.45 billion eurosdown 20.6 % compared to 2023. This erosion of margins is partly explained by the saturation of the mobile market and the increase in operational costs.
In this context, AI appears as a strategic axis. SK Telecom recorded an increase of 19 % of its income from AI, reaching 414 million eurosmainly thanks to the development of its activity AI Transformation (Aix)which increased by 32 %. KT and LG Uplus follow a similar dynamic, with massive investments in cloud platforms and infrastructure automation.
Claude: A conversational AI to transform customer relations
One of the major axes of SK Telecom’s AI strategy is based on improving the customer experience. The company has integrated Claudethe AI model developed by Anthropicvia Amazon bedrockto optimize its customer assistance and interaction services.
Thanks to this technology, SK Telecom has managed to improve the quality of the responses in 34 % call assistance and to reduce errors by 68 % in the AI models dedicated to telecoms. In post-processing, AI performance reaches 89 % of those of human agents. This automation makes it possible to optimize call centers and adapt customer service to new expectations of Korean consumers, which require faster and more fluid interactions.
AI also plays a key role in the management of network infrastructure. SK Telecom has teamed up with Perplexity ai To integrate automatic learning algorithms into optimizing 5G and 6G networks. This partnership reduces latency, improving infrastructure performance and anticipating subscribers’ needs through predictive models.
One of the strategic components of this collaboration concerns energy optimization. SK Telecom and Perplexity AI are working on AI models intended to reduce the energy consumption of datacenters by 25 % by 2027, based on intelligent cooling systems and a better allocation of IT resources.
Reinforced infrastructure: IA, HPC and optimized datacenters
The transformation of SK Telecom also involves a profound modernization of its infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on AI datacenters and energy efficiency.
The company has teamed up with Schneider Electric for the development of hyperscal datacenters dedicated to AI. This collaboration relates to the automation of mechanical, electric and plumbing systems in order to guarantee the stability of infrastructure and optimize the performance of equipment.
In parallel, SK Telecom has signed a partnership with Giga Computing and SK Enmove In order to integrate liquid cooling technologies into its IA datacenters. This project is based on several axes of development. On the one hand, the integration of high performance AI servers, adapted to the needs of Cloud, HPC (High-Performance Computing) and IA applications. On the other hand, the deployment of direct liquid cooling technologies (DLC) and cooling immersion, allowing better thermal dissipation and a significant reduction in electricity consumption. Finally, the optimization of the Power Effectiveness (PUE) of Datacenters, improving their energy efficiency and their carbon footprint.
Quantum: SK Telecom and Ionq prepare the future of secure telecoms
In parallel with its expansion in AI, SK Telecom invests massively in quantum IT and secure quantum networks. The company has signed an agreement with Ionq To support the acquisition of Quantum ID (IDQ)Swiss company specializing in quantum cybersecurity and secure communications.
With this acquisition, IONQ incorporates a portfolio of 300 patents in quantum networks, bringing its total to 900 patents. This transaction positions SK Telecom as a key player in the sector, by strengthening its expertise on the secure data transmission and the protection of critical infrastructure.
ID Quantum has already deployed several quantum networks around the world, including a secure quantum network of 800 kilometers in South Korea, used for government and industrial communications. It also participated in the Nationwide Quantum Safe Network Plus in Singapore, guaranteeing protected transmissions against quantum attacks, as well as the Euroqci, the European quantum communication infrastructure which aims to secure the exchange of data between the institutions of the European Union.
Securing telecoms by quantum becomes a critical issue as the capacities of quantum computers are progressing. According to McKinsey, the quantum network market could reach between 9 and 14 billion euros by 2035, potentially exceeding that of quantum computer science.
