The Ministry of Science and ICT decided to form a "artificial intelligence (AI) network investment public-private consultative body" with the three telecom companies.
Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister, met with the CEOs of the three telecom companies at SK Telecom's headquarters on the 23rd and said they would form a public-private consultative body to advance next-generation networks and discuss ways to expand investment and improve regulations together. This is the second meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Bae and the three telecom CEOs after April.
Before the start of the roundtable, Deputy Prime Minister Bae emphasized in his opening remarks that telecom companies are AI infrastructure and platform corporations that tightly consolidation AI infrastructure to everyday life and industrial sites, beyond being just telecom network corporations.
Deputy Prime Minister Bae said, "For the success of the 'Korea great leap three mega projects,' which encompass AI data centers, physical AI, and Autonomous Driving, next-generation networks must become a core element of national competitiveness," and added, "The government will provide full support so that the telecom industry can move forward with bold investments."
All three telecom companies expressed their intent to invest in advancing next-generation networks. SK Telecom presented its vision for the evolution of future networks such as 6G (sixth-generation mobile communications) and intelligent base stations (AI-RAN), while KT announced plans to expand submarine cable capacity and secure competitiveness in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Network. LG Uplus shared plans to build 5G SA (standalone mode) within the year and implement AI-based autonomous operating networks.
The government also decided to push forward with institutional improvements and necessary support to spur investment, and to form and operate, starting in August, a public-private consultative body that will discuss network investment and telecom regulatory improvements as a comprehensive package with the three telecom companies.
In addition, with inflationary pressures mounting, ways to contribute to stabilizing people's livelihoods were discussed. Recognizing that telecom services are an essential foundation of daily life and that the role of telecom companies in stabilizing livelihoods is important, the three telecom companies agreed to expand membership or partnership discounts in areas closely tied to daily living. To ease the burden on young people and vulnerable groups, who face relatively greater economic strain, they decided to continue efforts to stabilize livelihoods, including announcing in July various measures to enhance customer benefits such as providing additional temporary plan benefits.
They also agreed that balanced growth through win-win development is needed with the mobile phone distribution industry, the budget phone industry, and the information and communications construction industry that make up the telecom industry ecosystem, and they committed to efforts such as fostering a healthy distribution environment by refraining from inducing subscriptions to high-priced plans, continuously improving wholesale fees, and expanding workloads.
Deputy Prime Minister Bae said, "I thank the three telecom companies for joining next-generation network investments that can firmly support Korea's AX (AI transformation) progress and nationwide efforts to stabilize livelihoods," and added, "Let the government and the telecom industry work together so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of telecommunications, the internet, and AI."