KT, one of Korea’s leading telecom carriers, said Tuesday it has signed a partnership agreement with Viettel Group, Vietnam’s largest telecom operator, to expand collaboration in artificial intelligence and AI transformation, or AX, in the Southeast Asian region.
The deal pushes forward a joint project from the two companies’ May agreement, taking it into the implementation stage.
KT CEO Kim Young-shub and Viettel Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang attended a signing ceremony held at KT’s Gwanghwamun building in Seoul on Monday.
Under the deal, KT and Viettel will cooperate in four core areas — development of a Vietnamese AI language model, creation of industry-specific AX platforms, expansion of the Southeast Asian AX ecosystem through global partnerships and cultivation of AI talent via the planned Global AX Innovation Center.
“This collaboration goes beyond technology to help secure Vietnam’s future growth engines, as KT works with Viettel to open a new AI era together,” Kim said.
The partnership also includes joint research on AI-based cybersecurity solutions to combat voice phishing and deepfake crimes, with data and technology sharing between the two nations.
At the Korea–Vietnam Business Forum, the two firms presented their cooperation as a model for joint growth with companies with AX capabilities.
“Combining our technologies will drive Vietnam’s digital transformation across industries,” Tao said.
hyelimchung@heraldcorp.com
