SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile carrier, said Tuesday it partnered with the state-run Korea Gas Safety Corp. to develop a gas facility safety system using quantum technology.

The two will also work with the gas safety company Korea Plant Maintenance and the local optical sensor company QuantumSensing to incorporate quantum-based technology into safety management systems at gas facilities.

The next-generation system detects gas leaks and its concentration at facilities by analyzing light wavelengths reflected from buildings and is more accurate than the conventional infrared ray-based system, according to SK Telecom.

The companies aim to test the technology at a local large gas facility by the end of this year.

The mobile carrier said it plans to further upgrade the system by incorporating drones to allow remote testing at dangerous sites.

SK Telecom has recently focused on developing quantum technology, such as showcasing a single photon LiDAR sensor earlier this year for autonomous vehicles and releasing a smartphone with a quantum-safe cryptography solution with Samsung Electronics Co. (Yonhap)