South Korea’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom said Tuesday it would work with Ericsson to conduct joint research and development projects for the “Internet of Small Things,” a network that processes small amounts of data.

Holding a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding in Stockholm Monday, top executives from both firms agreed to develop machine-type communication technologies that allow small devices and sensors to communicate without glitches on a large scale.

Since the existing Long Term Evolution network is designed to work best for high-end smartphones that support data rates of several hundreds of megabits per second, more sophisticated network technologies for low-end devices that transmit kilobytes of data will be needed, especially when billions of devices are connected in the era of the next-generation 5G network.


SKT said the machine-type communication technologies will be utilizing the current LTE network infrastructure to provide stable network services for customers.

“The latest MOU for collaboration will pave the way to develop technology for a hyperconnected society,” Park Jin-hyo, head of the firm’s network technology research and development center, said in a press release.

He also said the Korean mobile firm will expand cooperation with global firms to grow the ecosystem of the Internet of Things and to create value for customers.

Korean telecommunications firms have been ramping up efforts with global firms and organizations to develop the Internet of Small Things technology. KT chairman Hwang Chang-gyu met with French Minister of State for Digital Affairs Axelle Lemaire last month to discuss future collaboration on the next-generation networks.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)