● KT-China Mobile- NTT DOCOMO agreed to form a ‘AI Task Force’ in SCFA

● KT and China Mobile International signed MOU for promoting IoT business cooperation

Northeast Asia’s lead telecommunication operators KT (Korea Telecom), China Mobile Communications Corporation, and NTT DOCOMO, INC. held hands together for inventing AI technology and service.

Nov. 29th 2017 ---- KT (CEO, Chang-Gyu Hwang, www.kt.com) has announced SCFA (Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement) held in Guangzhou, China for the 7th SCFA Cooperation Committee meeting.

Here, the cooperation in new fields such as AI and NBIoT has been discussed. Key executives from Northeast Asia telecommunication: KT’s CEO Chang-Gyu Hwang, China Mobile’s Senior Executive Vice President Sha Yuejia, NTT DOCOMO’s President, CEO Kazuhiro Yoshizawa have joined this meeting.

SCFA, a strategic cooperative body among telecommunication operators, was established by leading telecommunication operators at the instigation of KT in 2011.

Currently, KT, China Mobile, and NTT DOCOMO are lively promoting cooperation in 5G, roaming service, app/contents, marketing, IoT, etc. They have agreed to extend strategic cooperation for 5 years, which is until the end of January 2022.

At this meeting, KT, China Mobile, and NTT DOCOMO have agreed to establish ‘AI TF’ for the first time, and decided to work together to develop AI technology and service. KT and China Mobile are planning to elaborate each operator’s multilingual AI data base by exchanging interpretation data.

KT’s AI TV ‘GiGA Genie’ reached 40million subscribers in 10 months, and has launched LTE based AI speaker ‘GiGA Genie LTE’ recently for the first time domestically to expand AI market. Additionally, KT is putting efforts in AI this year like building AI Tech Center (R&D), GiGA Genie business center (Service, ecosystem), etc.

China Mobile and NTT DOCOMO are applying AI technology to customer service, IoT, marketing, etc. KT expects it will be an opportunity to seek new business through the establishment of AI TF following the cooperation with Sound Hound, leading AI business in U.S. Silicon Valley.

Additionally, KT has discussed about future network such as 5G, IoT, etc. and platform business field with China Mobile and NTT DOCOMO. Especially, KT has signed MOU for promoting IoT Cooperation with China Mobile International (China Mobile’s subsidiary) during this meeting. Based on this MOU, both operators are expecting that long-term cooperation is needed because the export-import supply management of heavy equipment (construction machinery and production equipment) between Korea and China will increase.

KT has already signed MOU with MIGU (The subsidiary of China Mobile for media contents) in last September. Through this, KT is jointly working with MIGU, who already has 500million subscribers, in contents business such as web comics, web fiction, music, etc., and character products, and intellectual property. From now, they are planning to promote product development and character marketing by using their intellectual properties.

KT’s ‘Free WiFi Roaming’ service in Korea, China, and Japan has received attention in this meeting. This service is an auto-access service after first logging-in. In Korea, KT is the only provider for this. Just like accessing in KT WiFi AP, KT users can join China Mobile’s WiFi network in China, and join NTT DOCOMO’s WiFi network in Japan for using free network.

KT CEO Chang-Gyu Hwang said, “This year’s SCFA has met the 7th year, which has enabled to provide advanced ICT services with KT, China Mobile, and NTT DOCOMO. Through Korea, China, Japan’s AI Cooperation, KT will put more effort in promoting both domestic and global AI business.”

China Mobile’s Senior Executive Vice President Sha Yuejia, NTT DOCOMO’s President, CEO Kazuhiro Yoshizawa, and KT’s CEO Chang-Gyu Hwang participating SCFA meeting