KOREA Country Of Honour
‘Anytime, anywhere, any device’
SK Telecom’s service allows viewers to select their preferred angle when watching streamed professional baseball games
Korea is showing the world today what 5G — the ultra-fast, fifthgeneration mobile networks — can do for the global entertainment business of tomorrow. Juliana Koranteng looks at the new platform for immersive content that is set to change the game RANKED as the world’s largest 5G market by global research company Omdia, Korea is home to KT Corporation, SK Telecom and LG Uplus Corporation (LG U+), three leading wireless carriers that started offering consumers 5G-distributed services early last year. The technology’s format is being used for a wide variety of TV genres, including live sports, live concerts, TV dramas, movies and reality shows, as well as the live esports events and video gaming so popular with Gen Z and millennial consumers. KT, which launched the first nationwide commercial 5G network last year, SK Telecom and their rivals promise killer content that, in the long term, will impact on how consumers enjoy on-screen entertainment. This includes
cutting-edge immersive AI-powered 3D holographic images that simulate real-life environments via VR and AR. And they will be accessible on 5G smartphones and laptops. “Thanks to the 5G breakthroughs, people can experience unlimited, realistic services and contents without delay, anytime, anywhere, on any device, under any circumstances,” says
Kwon Ki-jae, vice-president at KT’s 5G B2C service department. KT, SK Telecom and LG U+ have joined forces to invest a reported 34.45 trillion South Korean won ($29bn) in the infrastructure that has been responsible for Korea’s leading 5G status globally.
Thanks to the 5G breakthroughs, people can experience unlimited, realistic services and content without delay, anytime, anywhere, on any device, under any circumstances Kwon Ki-jae
Country Focus• 32 • OCTOBER 2020
