SK Telecom's 'T map' to feature Google's 'Android Auto' starting from the 3rd

Open Beta Service Launch
Navigation Integration Available on Vehicle Screens
Official Service Expected in 6 Months

Demonstration of the 'Jaguar Land Rover T-map' application, developed in collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover Korea and SK Telecom, the first of its kind in the imported car industry.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] SK Telecom's navigation service T map will be integrated into Google's in-car platform 'Android Auto.' Android Auto is a platform that connects the vehicle screen with an Android smartphone to support various functions. When linked with this service, the T map service used on the mobile phone application (app) can also be viewed on the vehicle screen.

According to the IT industry on the 2nd, the Android Auto version of T map will enter open beta service for general users starting from the 3rd. The official service launch is expected around the first half of next year. An SK Telecom official said, "A preparation period is needed to check and improve any issues through the open beta service," adding, "Open beta tests for services with many users usually take about six months."

Until now, Kakao was the domestic partner for Android Auto. Google had an exclusive contract with Kakao Mobility and allowed only 'Kakao Navi' to be linked from the launch of Android Auto in Korea in July 2018. This time, by changing the policy to allow multiple navigation apps on Android Auto, T map can also be integrated.

T map is the number one mobile navigation service in Korea with over 18 million subscribers. According to SK Telecom, as of October, the monthly active users (MAU) were counted at 13.23 million. This accounts for 56% of the 23.75 million registered vehicles in Korea and 74% of the 18 million MAU of smartphone navigation apps.

SK Telecom has identified the 'car' as the future smart device after smartphones and has been focusing on mobility business based on T map. On the 29th of this month, a mobility specialized company 'T map Mobility' based on T map will also be launched. This will be incorporated into SK Telecom's five major business divisions following telecommunications, media, security, and commerce.

SK Telecom also revealed plans to expand various linked services such as parking lots, taxi calls, designated driving, car sales and rentals, and tourism based on T map big data, which has the largest number of domestic users, aiming to grow T map Mobility into a 4.5 trillion KRW scale business by 2025.