LG Uplus said on the 21st it will pursue strategic cooperation with Ericsson, a global telecommunications equipment corporations, for developing network-based voice AI solutions, global business, and the evolution of AI-native networks.
The two companies will push forward with: ▲ technology development and system integration to implement network-based voice AI ▲ joint global business for voice AI solutions ▲ design and implementation of AI-native network architecture ▲ pre-verification to apply voice AI solutions across various global cloud environments.
The two companies will combine LG Uplus's commercial service experience and AI technology for its AI call agent "ixi-O" and Ericsson's global network technology capabilities. Through this, they plan to complete technology verification within the year and implement next-generation communications services in which AI functions as a core element of the telecommunications network.
LG Uplus plans to combine AI with the network foundation to develop it into a basic component of the telecom network for implementing voice AI. Voice AI is a natural and intuitive interface that connects people and AI, and it is not tied to a specific device or operating system (OS). The company said it will build an environment that, based on the carrier's high-quality voice network, can naturally connect and provide the AI functions customers need.
Going forward, customers will experience services where AI handles unnecessary calls on their behalf and only connects important calls, while an AI assistant supports necessary tasks during calls. Furthermore, the company said it expects an "AI agent era" to begin in earnest, in which various AI devices such as AI glasses and Humanoid Robot work organically on a single network, becoming consolidated and acting and executing on behalf of users.
LG Uplus and Ericsson will cooperate so the network can evolve beyond a mere conduit for voice and data into an intelligent platform that understands user intent and consolidations appropriate AI functions. The two companies will expand cooperation not only on customer-facing voice AI services but also in AI-native networks from a network evolution perspective. Using AI, the network will recognize operating conditions on its own and optimize performance and energy use, while also moving toward automating fault response and service quality management. LG Uplus plans to implement both a "Network for AI" and "AI for Network" simultaneously, creating a global case of making the network—the carrier's core competitiveness—more intelligent.
This cooperation was discussed when LG Uplus President Hong Bum-Shik and executives visited Ericsson's headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 14th (local time). The two companies plan to build a mid- to long-term cooperation system that progresses from technical review to global commercialization through this partnership.
Hong Bum-Shik, president of LG Uplus, said, "By combining the voice AI service experience LG Uplus has accumulated through ixi-O with Ericsson's global network technology capabilities, we will introduce network-based voice AI to the global market that can deliver a more intelligent and convenient communications experience," adding, "Through this partnership, we will make concrete the global business for voice AI, and ensure AI-native network technology contributes to LG Uplus's mid- to long-term growth and innovation in customer experience."
Per Narvinger, Ericsson's incoming president, said, "AI-native networks will be a core technology foundation that creates new growth drivers for future telecommunications," adding, "Through cooperation with LG Uplus, we will not only improve customer experience and enhance operational efficiency based on network-based voice AI solutions and AI-native networks, but also jointly seek new business opportunities and secure new growth drivers."