[THE INVESTOR] Korean network companies will utilize the Mobile World Congress, an annual mobile device and network trade show to be held from June 29 to July 1 in Shanghai, to help fledgling start-ups tap into the global market.

SK Telecom, Korea’s leading mobile carrier, will set up an exhibition venue where 12 start-ups will showcase their services and products during the three-day trade show.

The start-ups include Family, a developer of smart pet toy Friendsbot, Ezbelle, an operator of 3-D selfie platform, and Pinning, a developer of a smartphone app that controls garage doors.
 
The mobile carrier said it would put focus on promoting the start-ups’ products and services at this year’s MWC in Shanghai while the top brass of SKT will only participate in meetings with network firms in Asia for standardization of the future network technology, 5G, and the Internet of Things technology.

Telecommunications firm KT will also help Korean start-ups, which has participated in its start-up nurturing program K-Champ, to make their global debut via the mobile convention.

The three start-ups are ESMLab, a 4-D video solution firm, Misconct, a developer of a smartphone app that helps users to find parking spaces, and Springwave, a network device firm for the 4G and 5G technology.

KT will offers its GiGA Wire service, which can improve connectivity speeds of copper line Internet connections up to 600 megabits per second, three times the speed of VDSL, during the convention. 

Among technologies to be displayed at KT’s booth are drones fitted with face recognition sensors, virtual reality devices with which visitors can play winter sports such as ice hockey and ski jumping.

“KT will take the lead in the development of 5G technology and deploy the next-generation network tech successfully during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” said Yoon Jong-jin, the chief of KT’s public relations unit, pledging that the network firm will keep supporting the Korean start-ups to go global.

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