SEOUL, South Korea, June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corp. (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT) showcased its expertise and global leadership in next-generation wireless technology and services at this week's Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2018, the largest mobile industry event in Asia.
KT, South Korea's largest telecom company, demonstrated its 5G technology as part of a new campaign called "Ni Hao 5G!" during the three-day event held from June 26. Other innovative technologies from KT -- including virtual reality, the Internet of Things (IoT) and autonomous driving -- were also shown at the event.
"KT is proud to show the world South Korea's advanced 5G technologies at the MWC Shanghai 2018 as the country's leading telecom innovator," said Yoon Jong-Jin, Head of KT's Public Relations Department. "We will accelerate our drive to lead next-generation technology for the world's best 5G network and services."
The GSM Association (GSMA) organized this year's MWC in Shanghai. KT Chairman Hwang Chang-Gyu attended the GSMA board meeting on the sideline of the event to share the company's visions for next-generation mobile services. Hwang also discussed the company's experience debuting the world's first-ever trial 5G network during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February.
KT delegates made additional presentations at this week's MWC summits. Lee Yong-Gyoo, head of KT's 5G Business Unit, spoke on the company's progress regarding the company's 5G technology development, business models and service plans. Because KT played a key role in organizing the first GSMA Cloud VR/AR Forum earlier this year, the company also shared its experiences in converging 5G with VR/AR technologies.
KT ran its own booth in the exhibition's main hall -- named "Innovation City" -- to highlight preparations for the commercial launch of 5G services scheduled for March next year; 5G network self-driving tests; a virtual reality experience of the truce village Panmunjom and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ); an air quality monitoring solution (GiGA IoT Air Map); and a connected car platform (GiGA Drive IVI).
The booth showed a video called "The Road to 5G," which documents how KT has developed its 5G technology since Chairman Hwang, while at the MWC2015 in Barcelona, unveiled the company's vision for a commercial 5G launch next year. The video shows five different 5G-driven visual technologies that were tested at the PyeongChang Olympics, which include Sync View, Interactive Time Slice, 360-Degree VR Live, Omni Point View and an autonomous bus.
The KT booth also displayed a 360-degree virtual reality video introducing Panmunjom and the DMZ dividing the two Koreas. The truce village attracted global attention when the leaders of North and South Korea held a summit to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in April.
The GiGA IoT Air Map was also displayed at the KT booth. The air quality monitoring solution can be used for real-time identification and data analysis. Data is collected from IoT-enabled air monitors installed at about five million spots throughout the company's ICT infrastructure, including public telephone booths and mobile base stations.
KT expects that this technology, along with its expertise in air quality monitoring, will draw extensive attention from China and many other countries amid a growing interest in the environment -- such as efforts to reduce air pollution.
KT launched the Air Map Korea project in September last year. Through some 1,500 outdoor air quality monitoring networks covering Seoul and five major metropolitan cities across the country, the digital project can successfully identify sources of air pollution.
Visitors to the KT booth could also experience a model vehicle equipped with GiGA Drive IVI, a smart, voice-recognizing platform for connected cars. It has been designed for the approaching era of autonomous driving, which is powered by 5G. IVI, or in-vehicle infotainment, is a system that combines the delivery of both information and entertainment to drivers and passengers.
KT's IVI platform provides diverse information from directions to traffic conditions. Destinations can be set automatically by linking the vehicle with a mobile device. The IVI platform includes an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), which alerts the driver to danger and uses next-generation intelligent transport system technologies to visualize information from traffic signals and accidents.
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ABOUT KT CORP. (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT)
KT Corporation, Korea's largest telecommunications service provider reestablished in 1981 under the Telecommunications Business Act, is leading the era of innovations in the world's most connected country. The company leads the 4th industrial revolution with high speed wire/wireless network and innovative ICT technology. After installing 4.5 million fixed lines for 20 million users in just 12 years, KT was the first telecom provider to introduce 5G broad-scale trial service in 2018. It is another step in KT's continuous efforts to deliver essential products and services as it seeks to be the No.1 ICT Company and People's Company.
For more information, please visit our English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng/.
