KT chief calls on mobile carriers to focus 5G toward B2B services

SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- The head of South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. called Thursday for global mobile carriers to focus 5G services toward business needs to fully utilize opportunities.

"Mobile carriers should view 5G as a platform and create new values with companies and consumers," KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo said at the GTI summit, a global conference of mobile and tech companies. The conference was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest network offers speeds up to 20 times faster than the preceding 4G LTE network, allowing new telecommunications services.

Koo said the company is focusing on finding new opportunities with companies, citing KT's 5G services in partnership with businesses such as digitally transferring large video files for film companies and developing remote diagnosis services for hospitals.

The remarks come amid efforts by South Korean carriers to boost the number of 5G users.

As of the end of May, there were 6.9 million 5G users in South Korea, roughly 10 percent of the country's total 69 million mobile service accounts.

South Korea was the first country to commercialize a 5G network in April last year.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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