SK Telecom and Microsoft sign letter to jointly promote IoT business

Microsoft has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with South Korean wireless telecommunications company SK Telecom to promote their internet of things businesses.

The memorandum covers areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Microsoft says they will use their expertise in these areas “to jointly promote Internet of Things (IoT) business including smart factory; AI technologies and services; media and entertainment services; and new ways of working for ICT companies under the SK Group umbrella.”

The hope is that their joint efforts will drive the adoption of IoT technologies by other businesses. Jason Zander, the executive vice president of Azure, Microsoft, echoed this sentiment, saying that: “Through the strategic partnership with SK Telecom, we will play a key role in shaping the future and accelerating the digital transformation of the telecommunications industry with our world-class network and technology.”

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Specifics of the agreement include the integration of SK Telecom’s AI platform NUGU with Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant, which they say will result in new AI-powered products and services for both businesses and consumers.

Park Jung Ho, CEO of SK Telecom, said: “Collaboration with global leading companies like Microsoft is essential to gain leadership in the 5G market, where competition is already fierce. SK Telecom will work closely with Microsoft to create an unprecedented value by combining the strengths and capabilities of the two companies.”

As reported by Mobile World Live, this announcement is not the first time the two have worked together, coming hot on the heels of the launch of Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, with SKT’s big data programme Metatron.