LG Uplus garnered attention last month for its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) at the world's largest mobile exhibition, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025. The two companies joined forces in the business-to-business (B2B) telecom artificial intelligence (AI) agent sector. This technology allows for the provision of consulting services to customers without staff and the ability to autonomously resolve network failures.
Ishiwal Parulka, AWS's chief technology officer for telecom and edge cloud, met with ChosunBiz on the 4th (local time) and noted, "Since we began full-scale operations in the mobile edge computing business in 2018, the first corporations we collaborated with were Korean companies. SK Telecom is actively engaging in the development of telecom AI with global telecom companies, which is one of the latest AI technologies led by Korean corporations. This is why Korea is a crucial country for us in establishing business strategies."
AWS recorded the top position last year in the global cloud service provider (CSP) market with a 30% share, surpassing second-place Microsoft (21%) and third-place Google (12%). The AWS telecom and edge cloud division develops AI and cloud technologies for telecommunications companies.
AWS will work on advancing network technologies based on the cloud this year. Parulka stated, "By virtually constructing telecom infrastructure through the cloud, we can provide high-quality networks without speed degradation," adding, "By building a virtual telecom network instead of using actual hardware, tasks such as frequency signal processing can be automated, which can speed up network speed and reduce operational expenses."
AWS is also focusing on developing AI to resolve communication failures. Parulka explained, "When AI is applied to the network, it can autonomously detect and resolve network failures," adding, "This can reduce both work hours and expenses while also easily improving communication quality."
At MWC 2025, AWS unveiled hardware necessary for implementing high-performance networks, known as "outpost rack" and "outpost server." The outpost server performs data storage and processing within cloud facilities. The outpost rack provides power to multiple servers and assists in their smooth operation.
Parulka explained, "By increasing the cloud resources necessary for expanding communication services through outpost racks and servers, we can enhance network performance at relatively low expenses," noting, "This means we can provide decent quality communication services even in areas with weak communication signals."
Parulka joined Apple as a system design engineer in 1994. He later worked as an engineer at Sun Microsystems and Cisco. He joined AWS in 2016 and has been focusing on AI and cloud businesses. The following is a Q&A with him.
─ What work does AWS's telecom and edge cloud division do?
"We help telecom companies improve the quality of network services by applying AI and cloud. By using the cloud, we can provide telecom services without speed delays. AI autonomously identifies and resolves disruptions in the network. Constructing a telecom network incurs significant expenses and time from design to operation. We can address related issues by allowing AI to manage network oversight instead of people."
─ What area are you focusing on this year?
"This year, we unveiled cloud equipment, known as "outpost rack" and "outpost server," at MWC that can improve the quality of telecom services. These products are applied to cloud infrastructure, enabling high-speed networks. This can enhance the quality of telecom services in areas where frequency signals are weak. We are also focusing on developing technologies that make it easier to manage home appliances through Internet of Things (IoT) technology."
─ What is the Korean market like?
"Korea was the first country to adopt 5G (fifth-generation mobile communication) and has always been at the forefront of communication technologies. When we initiated AI and cloud business for telecom companies in 2018, the first corporations we cooperated with were also Korean companies. SK Telecom is actively expanding its business by developing a telecom large language model (LLM) in collaboration with global telecom companies. Korea is a market that provides significant support in establishing global business strategies."
─ Are there any areas you are paying close attention to?
"We are closely monitoring the potential of the AI agent market. Currently, we are focusing on developing AI agents specifically for telecom companies, but in the future, we aim to develop technologies that can assist clients across all industries."
─ What are your forecasts for the cloud market this year?
"Because cloud technology is a critical element in the overall adoption of AI, the related market is expected to grow rapidly. Training AI on vast amounts of data requires a lot of computing resources, and cloud technology can address this issue."