SK Telecom devices strategies to compete against OTT players

Telecom Lead @ GSMA MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2012: Mobile giant
SK Telecom (SKT) is devising strategies to compete against a number of
Over-The-Top (OTT) players that have become popular in Korea.


As part of this strategy, SK Telecom is planning to
launch an RCS-based service and deploy its Smart Push technology.



Korean mobile carriers are experiencing difficulties, including decreased SMS
revenues and increased network investment cost to accommodate surging traffic,
caused by the popularity of various free messaging services,” said Choi
Jin-Sung, SVP and Head of SKT’s Technology Strategy Office.



Among them, KaKao Talk, a mobile messaging service used by 37 million Koreans
(46 million subscribers globally as of May 2012), is becoming a threat to
mobile operators as it has recently launched a mVOIP service. These OTT service
providers are expected to evolve into a Unified Communication platform after
securing subscribers based on their messaging services.


Recently, Australian telecom major Telstra said it would
work with OTT players and grow its business.



SK Telecom is preparing a RCS-based UC service in partnership with other Korean
telecommunications companies and plans to link this service other GSMA member
operators too, mobilebusinessbriefing.com reported.


The company is also applying Smart Push, its home-grown
technology that enables integrated management of keep-alive signals, to prevent
network overload.


Here, the opening up of the Smart Push technology is an
exemplary case where all stakeholders including mobile carriers, OTT service
providers and customers gain benefits. SK Telecom has also entered into MOUs
with Samsung Electronics and NSN to promote overseas exports of Smart
Push-embedded network equipment,” he added.



Such measures will ensure SKT and the global operator community can stay at the
forefront of innovative service development. Operators must think from the
customers’ perspective when developing new products and services. It is
important that they secure experts of various fields to develop innovative
services in new business areas so as to compete against ICT companies including
OTT players.



Mobile operators must actively transform themselves into a structure and form
suitable for the new environment built upon innovation, efficiency, openness
and collaboration to achieve new growth of their own and drive evolution of
related industries. Through such efforts, they are expected to play the key
role in the newly created environment by leading customers’ lifestyle
innovations and promoting mutual growth with partners,” he added.


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