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KT proposes telecom work in Ukraine

Sept. 17, 2023 - 15:32 By Jie Ye-eun
Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko (left) and Moon Sung-uk, head of global business at KT, pose for a photo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday. (KT Corp.)

South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp. has suggested to the Ukraine government ways of improving the war-torn country's telecom infrastructure and operating with energy efficiency, upon its participation at a forum hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Thursday.

KT was among the 18 state-run and private firms specializing in housing, public water supply, airports, environmental technology, construction, vehicles, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and logistics that joined a delegation called One Team Korea, led by Korea's Infrastructure Minister Won Hee-ryong, to visit Ukraine, participate in the Ukraine-Korea Reconstruction Cooperation Forum and seal agreements for the country's postwar reconstruction.

In a presentation titled "ICT Partner for Ukraine," KT presented the telecom operator’s scheme for helping Ukraine rebuild its telecommunications network to Won and key Ukrainian government officials, including the deputy prime minister and Cabinet ministers.

The company highlighted the importance of implementing a government-only LTE-based public safety network to ensure high security and enable the rapid response of Ukraine’s government in emergency situations.

It also said the country’s national defense can benefit from the construction of a military-broadband convergence network that enables stable communications and 24-hour operation of situation room monitoring. In 2018, KT launched the world’s first disaster-responsive state network in Korea.

Additionally, KT proposed enhancing national security through quantum encryption solutions and enabling integrated and stable data management and operation in Ukraine through the construction of a government-exclusive integrated data center.

Given Ukraine’s current energy crisis, in which the country’s power generation has been reduced by over 50 percent compared to before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, KT suggested that its advanced metering infrastructure could manage and operate energy resources efficiently.

Key Ukrainian government officials at the forum expressed a high level of interest in KT’s proposals, aligning with Ukraine’s reconstruction direction. They have decided to continue discussions for specific business cooperation.

“As KT participated in the project as a member firm of One Team Korea, we’ll actively contribute to urgently improving Ukraine’s infrastructure based on our experience in the telecommunication business at home and abroad and our ICT solution capabilities,” said Moon Sung-uk, head of global business at KT.

“KT Group as a whole is also planning to take the lead in reconstructing Ukraine through close collaboration with the companies participating in One Team Korea,” he said.