SK Telecom Recognized for On-Device AI Technology... Receives Leading Light Award

Development of Smartphone Power Consumption Reduction Technology
"AI to Be Introduced Across All Mobile Communication Areas"

SK Telecom has been recognized for its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology at the global telecommunications awards ceremony, the 'Leading Lights Awards 2024.'

The Leading Lights Awards, presented annually by the global telecommunications media outlet 'Light Reading,' honors the best telecom operators and services in various fields. This year, the winners were announced online on the 25th (Korean time).

SKT received the honor in the 'Outstanding AI Use Case' category based on its research and development (R&D) achievements in reducing smartphone power consumption using on-device AI technology. This category is awarded to telecom operators or manufacturers that innovatively utilize AI to enhance network and device performance and improve service quality in the telecommunications sector.

SKT developed a technology that uses on-device AI to predict whether data will be generated within a certain future time frame and optimally controls the connection status between the device and the base station based on the prediction results.

The on-device AI-based smartphone power consumption reduction technology is significant as it addresses the increasing smartphone power consumption issue in the AI era. When combined with manufacturers' efforts to increase battery capacity and reduce component power consumption from a hardware perspective, it can substantially improve battery life. SKT showcased its technological achievements at MWC held in Barcelona, Spain, last February.

Preparing for the evolution of 5G and the 6G era, SKT is introducing AI across all areas of telecommunications and striving to achieve tangible results. Notably, it regards Telco Edge AI as a core technology for next-generation infrastructure evolution, leading related technology standardization, and advancing AI-based base station wireless transmission and reception technology, Open RAN, and infrastructure power-saving technologies.

Ryu Tak-gi, head of SKT's Infrastructure Technology Division, stated, "We plan to continuously advance technologies that enhance the value of telecommunications networks, such as Telco Edge AI infrastructure technology and on-device AI-based device power consumption reduction technology."