Deutsche Telekom is expanding its partnership with SK Telecom (SKT) to form a joint venture on advanced 5G in-building solutions and to complete the development of an advanced 5G/LTE dual-mode repeater. Under the JV agreement, the companies will also assess opportunities to cooperate in the fields of augmented reality/ virtual reality services, mobile edge computing (MEC) and the app market.
Each company will hold 50 percept in the Germany-based JV, which is still subject to regulatory approval. The transaction is expected to be finalized before the end of the year. Under the terms of the new partnership, SKT will contribute the technology assets it has developed over the years to the joint venture.
The two telcos cited research showing that the global market for in-building distributed antenna systems (DAS) is expected to be worth $10.33bn by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% between 2018 and 2023. Noting that there are not yet strong players dominating the market for 5G repeaters, the joint venture partners says that by combining their respective strengths they will be well-positioned to pioneer the market.“Together with SKT we are able to develop new and innovative products which enhance customer experience,” said Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges. “The first feedback from the repeater customer trial has shown the value of our partnership – for us, but more importantly, for our customers. We will start with the repeater, but this joint venture is aiming at a much higher goal: to create major innovations for both companies in the years to come.”
“The partnership between SKT and Deutsche Telekom is very meaningful at a time when the world is heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Park Jung-ho, CEO of SK Telecom. “The deepened bond between the two companies will play an important role as a bridge between Asia and Europe and lead us to new technologies that can bring greater value to humanity.”
Tim Höttges, CEO Deutsche Telekom, Park Jung-ho, CEO SK Telecom and their teams at a joint video conference.
SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom have been working closely since 2016 to lead innovations in ICT, seeing the sharing of fixed and wireless technologies. In May 2020, the two firms announced a collaboration to expand the global 5G ecosystem by accelerating 5G deployment in Europe. As part of this, they constructed a Network Engineer Exchange Programme that will see them exchange their respective technological expertise once the situation with Covid-19 improves.
SK Telekom will contribute to the JV with technology the Korean operator has developed over the years. The company has already provided 5G/LTE dual-mode repeaters to support Telekom’s customer trial for in-building coverage. The test was carried out in the cities Berlin, Hamburg, Bonn, Cologne, Munich, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Leipzig, from August to October of this year. The trial showed that users experienced significant improvement in 5G and LTE for both voice and data experience with this test device. The joint venture plans to complete the development of an advanced 5G/LTE dual-mode repeater.
SKT has already provided 5G/LTE dual-mode repeaters to support DT’s customer trial for in-building coverage carried out in eight different cities in Germany – namely Berlin, Hamburg, Bonn, Cologne, Munich, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Leipzig – from August to October 2020. The firms said customer trial results have shown that users experienced significant improvement in 5G and LTE experience with this test device.
2 thoughts on “Deutsche Telekom in joint venture with SK Telecom for 5G in-building experiences”
This is the first time I frequented your IEEE Techblog web page and I’m amazed with the research you’ve done to create
this article on DT-SKT joint venture for 5G in building experiences. Very informative post!
I quite like looking through a post that can make people think. I’d like to see more co-operation and collaboration from 5G wireless network operators, particularly spectrum sharing.
This is the first time I frequented your IEEE Techblog web page and I’m amazed with the research you’ve done to create
this article on DT-SKT joint venture for 5G in building experiences. Very informative post!
I quite like looking through a post that can make people think. I’d like to see more co-operation and collaboration from 5G wireless network operators, particularly spectrum sharing.