SK Telecom Plans to Invest in DT's Edge Computing Firm MobiledgeX

Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom have entered into a cross investment agreement to further strengthen their competitiveness in 5G and deepen their cooperation in the global market. 

Under the agreement, SK Telecom plans to invest in MobiledgeX, an edge computing company founded by Deutsche Telekom, focused on delivering developer-facing edge computing services. Deutsche Telekom plans to invest the same amount to ID Quantique (IDQ), SK Telecom’s strategic partner in quantum cryptography communication technology based in Switzerland. 

Going forward, SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom plan to share their technologies and knowhow. The two companies made their cross-investment decision to gain leadership in the upcoming era of 5G by offering specialized 5G services with ultra-low latency in areas like telemedicine as well as AR and VR, while addressing potential security threats. 

Unlike the pre-5G era, which was mainly about communication between people, the 5G era will be marked by communication between people and things, as well as communication between things, which will support intelligent services like connected car, smart factory and wearable devices. 

Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom are reviewing the idea of utilizing mobile edge computing technologies to reduce data transfer time. With mobile edge computing, companies can conduct on-site monitoring of disaster-affected areas and respond faster to traffic accidents.

Moreover, Deutsche Telekom is reviewing the idea of adopting quantum cryptography communication systems. To this end, SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are currently in the process of qualifying quantum cryptography technologies on their respective trial networks.