SK Telecom, South Korea’s leading mobile carrier, recently launched a new subscription service and also purchased a 20% stake in Korea Content Platform (KCP), a US-based joint venture of Korean terrestrial broadcasters. In addition, the company began monitoring marine pollution with Hoseo University and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
On Sunday, SK Telecom announced that it had finalized the acquisition of a 20% shareholding in KCP for $25.8 million in order to expand the content portfolio and audience base of its over-the-top (OTT) platform Wavve. According to industry experts, the presence of KCP in the United States will aid in the creation of synergy with Wavve.
In addition, the company has introduced a suite of subscription services, named ‘T Universe’, for its clients, which appear to be a collection of ecommerce services. While there will be several subscription packages available, the main one is called Universe Pass, and it provides coupons and ‘free’ delivery for Amazon Global Store items via SKT-owned 11st.co.kr. The platform will go live on August 31, 2021 and will include collaborations with a number of Korean companies such as Emart and Baedal Minjok, as well as worldwide brands such as Google, Starbucks and Xbox.
Furthermore, on August 23, SK Telecom began a collaboration with Hoseo University and the state-run Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to observe sea pollution in real time. The research will be conducted along a suspension bridge in the southern port city of Busan by deploying monitoring equipment at a depth of around 30 meters. By linking an underwater base station and detection sensors to a communication network, they will be able to capture real-time sea pollution readings. The study will allow for a rapid assessment of seawater pollution and thereby replace the laborious manual collection of seawater samples for lab examination.
