SK Telecom is using MWC 2026 as a stage to broaden its AI cooperation network with global carriers.
SK Telecom said on the 3rd that President Jung Jai-hun of SK Telecom will meet with executives of major carriers during the event to discuss collaboration on AI data centers, AI models, and next-generation networks.
On the 2nd (local time), SK Telecom held a conference in Barcelona, Spain, titled "AI transition era, redesigning telecom infrastructure," and presented a direction for carriers' transformation. In a keynote, Jung said, "Carriers' unique infrastructure and operational know-how are the key to building AI infrastructure and expanding services," adding, "Beyond delivering data quickly and safely, carriers must become the architects and principals of AI infrastructure."
The company introduced its "Sovereign AI package" strategy, which bundles AI data center infrastructure based on SK Group's capabilities, its in-house AI model A.X K1, and industrial AI services. With Data Sovereignty in mind, the plan is to place a proprietary foundation model that understands the local language and culture on top of domestically controllable infrastructure, and to provide field-proven services together.
In the industry, as 6G (sixth-generation mobile communications) is redefined not as an upgrade for human-to-human communications but as "physical AI" infrastructure that connects countless devices such as Autonomous Driving, robots, and sensors in real time, there is an outlook that AI RAN and AI data centers will become the starting point of next-generation network competition. Even before standards are established, carriers, equipment vendors, and semiconductor companies are joining hands to accelerate reference designs and validations for this reason.
Jung met with officials from Singtel, e& International, and NTT to discuss cooperation plans, and will hold a first meeting with Orange executives the following day. Orange is known to have around 340 million subscribers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. SK Telecom plans to use this meeting to expand the scope of AI infrastructure cooperation in the European market and build a cooperation belt that links partnerships in Asia and the Middle East.
With its European partner Deutsche Telekom, the company agreed to seek cooperation by sharing plans for AI data centers, its experience building A.X K1, and AI RAN technology. Jung said, "In the AI era, competitiveness depends not only on technology but on how the infrastructure is designed and consolidation," adding, "We will work with global carriers to build a reliable AI infrastructure and service ecosystem."