"Lowering Barriers with AR Technology" SKT Wins 'Best Award' for Mobile Accessibility and Inclusivity

Awarded at GSMA Global Mobile Awards
Double Winner Including '5G Industry Partnership Award'

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] SK Telecom has been recognized at a global ICT competition for its efforts to lower the barriers to cultural heritage viewing by linking augmented reality (AR) technology with Changdeokgung Palace.

SK Telecom announced on the 1st that it won two awards, including the ‘Best Award in Mobile Accessibility and Inclusion’ at the 26th edition of the prestigious global 'GSMA Global Mobile Awards' this year.

The Mobile Accessibility and Inclusion category awards companies that enhance user accessibility through innovative mobile services and prevent social exclusion.

SK Telecom received the top prize for the AR technology-based app service ‘Changdeok Arirang,’ developed in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Administration and Google. Utilizing advanced ICT technologies such as AR, 5G, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and Virtual Reality (VR), the service enables everyone?from people with disabilities to foreigners?to experience and view Changdeokgung, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, anytime and anywhere. The technology was also praised for vividly recreating the authentic appearance and texture of cultural assets such as Huijeongdang and the rear garden inside Changdeokgung through AR and VR technologies.

Before winning at the Glomo Awards 2021, Changdeok Arirang had already received multiple global awards. In May, it won a Webby Award hosted by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) in New York, USA, and received the ‘Good Design’ award at the Drum Awards in the UK.

Additionally, SK Telecom won the ‘5G Industry Partnership Award’ for the ‘5G Korea, Rural 5G Shared Use’ project, a joint initiative by the three major telecom companies?KT, LG Uplus, and SK Telecom?to build and share 5G infrastructure in rural areas, achieving a double crown.

SK Telecom stated, “Being a multi-award winner at a globally prestigious awards ceremony reaffirms the technological prowess of Korea’s top telecommunications company. We will continue to lead the 5G era by introducing innovative technologies and services and dedicate ourselves to creating social value through ICT innovation.”