SK Telecom "Looking for Partners to Develop Untact Services"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seolgina Cho] SK Telecom is set to discover promising companies for the 'post-COVID-19' era.

According to SK Telecom on the 31st, the company will publicly recruit promising global companies with potential in 5G MEC services, infrastructure technology, and non-face-to-face solution development from June 1 to 30 through TEAC (TIP Ecosystem Acceleration Center), a global partner discovery and collaboration program.

TEAC is part of the TIP (Telecom Infra Project) project, a global alliance established in 2016 by global ICT companies such as SK Telecom, Facebook, Intel, and Nokia to innovate next-generation communication infrastructure, operating in Korea, the UK, and Germany. Among these, SK Telecom has been responsible for 'TEAC Korea,' based in Korea, the US, and Asia, since 2017.

In this recruitment, SK Telecom will discover promising companies with strengths in 5G, MEC (Mobile Edge Computing), and non-face-to-face solutions and support them with ▲commercial network testing ▲global business development ▲investment attraction linkage.

Additionally, selected companies will be introduced at the 'TIP Summit 2020' scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, and opportunities for collaboration with major TIP companies will be provided.

The selection scale is around five companies. Companies wishing to apply can do so through SK Telecom's developer support site 'SK OPEN API.' Recommendations from startup accelerators and venture capitalists are also accepted.

Since 2017, SK Telecom has supported six companies through TEAC. Notably, Optella, an optical communication solution company discovered in 2018, developed an optical engine-based solution during the TEAC program and was acquired by US-based Kosemi Technology after gaining recognition for its technology.

Transcelestial, a Singapore-based wireless optical communication equipment developer, succeeded in securing commercial product contracts and investment from global telecom companies based on SK Telecom's commercial network verification results.

Jinwoo Kim, Head of SK Telecom's Integrated Service Promotion Group, stated, "We plan to discover hidden champions with high potential but not well known through this program," adding, "We will especially focus on discovering startups with 5G and MEC-based non-face-to-face solutions preparing for the 'post-COVID-19' era."