KT Extends China-Japan Telecom Cooperation for 5 Years... Koo Hyun-mo "Strengthening Northeast Asia ICT Leadership"

5-Year Extension of Strategic Partnership at SCFA General Assembly
Successful 5G SA Roaming Demonstration

On the afternoon of the 25th, KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo, who attended the SCFA General Assembly held via video conference, is taking a commemorative photo after signing the agreement. Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] KT is strengthening its Northeast Asian ICT leadership by extending the cooperation period among telecom operators with China Mobile of China and NTT Docomo of Japan for another five years.

On the 26th, KT announced that at the 11th SCFA (Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement) general meeting held via video conference on the 25th, it decided to extend the strategic alliance with China Mobile of China and NTT Docomo of Japan for five more years and further strengthen cooperation among the three leading telecom operators representing Northeast Asia. This will maintain a mid- to long-term cooperative relationship from January 2022 until 2027, five years later.

Established in 2011 under KT's leadership, SCFA is the largest strategic consultative body among telecom operators in Asia. Over the past five years, the three companies have promoted technological and marketing cooperation in various fields such as applications (apps) and content, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) network technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and roaming. This is the third alliance extension following those in 2014 and 2017.

In the IoT sector, in May 2019, KT and NTT Docomo successfully launched and contracted Renault Samsung's connected car service, and discussions for service differentiation and discovering commercial cases have been steadily ongoing. In 2017, the three companies agreed to establish an AI task force (TF) to share advanced AI-based cases in AI strategy, services and networks, next-generation AI, digital transformation, and COVID-19 response. Especially at the time of 5G commercialization, discussions were held to launch 5G in China and Japan, starting with KT’s case as the first to launch commercial 5G services.

The achievements in the roaming sector stood out particularly at this general meeting. They successfully demonstrated 5G standalone (SA) roaming. For this 5G standalone roaming demonstration, KT and China Mobile built and successfully linked an SA-based 5G roaming test network between the two companies starting in August. Through demonstrations such as two-way video calls and high-definition video playback between Korea and China, they showcased a technological advancement beyond NSA roaming.

KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo emphasized, “The five-year extension of cooperation among the three companies from Korea, China, and Japan has laid the groundwork for SCFA, which has established a solid trust relationship over the past decade and positioned itself as the largest telecom consultative body in Northeast Asia, to continue deeper cooperation. Based on cooperation with China Mobile and NTT Docomo, we will lead global digital trends and solidify Northeast Asia’s global ICT leadership through collaboration for next-generation networks and digital transformation across industries.”