SK Telecom CEO Unveils 'AI Native' Strategy at MWC26, Driving Korea's Leap in AI Innovation
MWN-AI** Summary
At the MWC26 event in Barcelona, SK Telecom (SKT) CEO Jung Jai-hun unveiled an ambitious 'AI Native' strategy aimed at transforming the telecommunications landscape and positioning South Korea as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). This strategy emphasizes 'Customer Value & AI' as the focal points for SKT's innovation and service enhancement initiatives.
Key components of this transformation include a comprehensive overhaul of the company’s IT and telecommunications infrastructure, optimizing systems for AI integration. By doing so, SKT plans to create highly personalized customer experiences through AI-driven products and services. Known as an 'AI-powered Telco,' SKT aims to automate services such as pricing and membership offerings, enhancing both simplicity and user satisfaction.
A significant aspect of the strategy involves the development of hyperscale AI data centers across Korea, with an impressive target of building 1GW-class infrastructure. These facilities are vital for hosting advanced AI models, significantly enhancing SKT's operational capacity and capability. The company further aims to upgrade its sovereign AI foundation model, currently the largest in Korea, from 519 billion parameters to over 1 trillion, thereby solidifying its AI leadership.
Additionally, the transformation extends to internal corporate culture, where SKT is instituting AI-centric practices across departments to encourage a more innovative workplace. The introduction of tools like the 'AX Dashboard' and AI playgrounds reflect SKT's commitment to enable employees to seamlessly incorporate AI into their workflows.
In summary, through its 'AI Native' strategy, SK Telecom is not only revamping its services to enhance customer experience but also gearing up to lead the charge in AI innovation on a global scale, showcasing ambitious plans that are set to shape the future of telecommunications and AI in Korea.
MWN-AI** Analysis
SK Telecom's recent announcement regarding its 'AI Native' strategy marks a transformative moment for the company and the broader telecommunications sector in South Korea. With plans to overhaul its infrastructure centered around AI, integrate customer-facing systems, and establish hyperscale AI Data Centers, SKT positions itself not only as a leader in telecom but also as a significant player in the global AI landscape.
Investors should closely monitor SK Telecom as it shifts towards a more AI-driven model, which is anticipated to enhance its customer engagement and operational efficiency significantly. The focus on creating personalized customer experiences through AI applications could position the company as a frontrunner against competitors both domestically and internationally. The emphasis on a Zero Trust security framework also enhances investor confidence by addressing growing cybersecurity concerns in AI deployments.
The establishment of 1GW-class AI Data Centers, aimed at attracting global investment, signals a strategic move to bolster the company’s data capabilities — a key asset in the AI age. This infrastructure will provide the foundation for SK Telecom to develop and enhance AI models, potentially driving substantial revenues from AI solutions across various sectors, particularly manufacturing.
Investors should also consider the impact of SK Telecom's cultural shift towards an AI-centric operational model, as this could yield improved productivity and innovation. The anticipated expansion into AI-powered services will likely create diverse revenue streams, beyond traditional telecommunications.
However, potential investors should be mindful of the inherent risks, including rapid technological changes and competition from both established and emerging players in the AI space. Monitoring the progress of SK Telecom’s initiatives and their reception in the market will be crucial for informed investment decisions. As SKT aligns itself with the future of AI, it could represent a compelling opportunity for growth within the telecommunications sector.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PR Newswire
- Seizing the golden time for a major transformation, with 'Customer Value & AI' as the top two priorities for driving change
- Major overhaul of systems and infrastructure, the foundation of telecommunications, centered on AI
- Redesigning customer-friendly products, promoting integrated AI agents, and strengthening communication with customers
- Advancing hyperscale AI data centers, developing 1000B AI models, and focusing on manufacturing AI to help Korea become one of the world's top three AI leaders
BARCELONA, March 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, hereinafter referred to as "SKT") has announced a major transformation to lead the era of AI.
On March 1, SKT CEO Jung Jai-hun held a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, and announced the company's 'AI Native' innovation strategy, which includes a reorganization of AI infrastructure and large-scale investment plans.
This strategy reflects SKT's ambition to redesign its telecommunications leadership DNA into an AI-driven DNA, building on its core strengths, and to lead Korea's leap toward becoming one of the world's top three AI leaders through bold challenges and change.
CEO Jung Jai-hun stated, "SKT is currently at a golden time of transformation, where the two tasks of 'customer value innovation' and 'AI innovation' intersect in a borderless, converged environment that goes beyond telecommunications. SKT defines 'the customer as the very essence of our business,' and through innovation driven by AI, we will evolve into a company that makes meaningful contributions to our customers and to Korea."
- Maximizing Customer Value with 'AI-powered Telco'
SKT plans to build stronger relationships with customers and significantly enhance customer-perceived value by applying AI across all areas of telecommunications.
To achieve this, SKT will undertake a major overhaul of its integrated IT systems, the foundation of its telecom services, redesigning them to be optimized for AI.
SKT will build all integrated systems, including sales IT, line management, and billing systems, around AI, enabling the company to promptly design and provide personalized plans and memberships tailored to each customer's needs.
In particular, SKT will establish a Zero Trust information security framework across all systems, strengthening security through rigorous authentication, access control, network segmentation, and AI-based integrated security monitoring.
SKT is also accelerating its 'autonomous network operations' strategy, which leverages AI to automate network management.
SKT is set to transition from human-centered operations to AI-driven autonomous systems across wireless quality management, traffic control, and network equipment and facility operations, with the goal of maximizing customer-perceived quality. With AI-RAN technology, the company plans to deliver ultra-fast, seamless, and ultra-low latency communications.
- Customer-Friendly Redesign Across All Touchpoints, from Services to Customer Touchpoints—Enhancing Two-Way Communication with Customers
SKT plans to redesign its telecom services and products to be more customer-friendly, while also strengthening two-way communication with customers.
For services such as pricing, roaming, and membership, SKT will prioritize customer convenience by restructuring them into simple and intuitive formats and automatically offering personalized packages.
SKT is also developing an 'integrated AI agent' that connects the dispersed customer experiences across various touchpoints, such as T world (SKT's main customer portal) and T Direct Shop (SKT's official online store).
By quickly analyzing customers' daily patterns and needs with AI, SKT aims to create a single agent that delivers personalized experiences at every touchpoint. In addition, SKT will enhance its AI Contact Center (AICC), enabling all customer service representatives to use AI for accurate and prompt support.
Offline stores will also leverage AI to shift from sales-focused operations to providing deeper customer experiences, accurately identifying needs, and automatically offering personalized recommendations even after a visit—delivering highly tailored curation services.
In addition, SKT plans to create 'AI Personas' to analyze digital behavior data across various customer segments, enabling a comprehensive understanding of each customer's needs and preferences through natural, conversational Q&A. This approach will allow SKT to communicate more effectively with all customers.
SKT is further advancing 'A. phone (A-DoT phone),' developing it into a true AI agent that can automatically organize call notes and schedules, connect customers to personalized services, and even perform related actions.
SKT plans to expand opportunities for employees to engage directly with customers in the field, fostering two-way communication. This year, SKT plans to actively listen to a wide range of customer groups, as well as experts from industry and academia, and thoroughly reflect their voices in all aspects of company management.
- Building 1GW-Class AI Data Centers Nationwide to Establish Asia's Largest AIDC Hub
SKT will build 1GW-class hyperscale AI data center (AIDC) infrastructure across Korea, aiming to attract global investment and establish the nation as Asia's largest AIDC hub.
In addition to its GPU cluster Haein, SKT is building AIDCs and plans to expand to hyperscale capacity exceeding 1GW through global partnerships. The company also plans to build an AIDC in Korea's southwestern region in collaboration with OpenAI, as part of its broader vision to establish a nationwide AI infrastructure network.
Together with SK hynix, SK Ecoplant, and SK Innovation, SKT will secure solutions across the entire value chain—from AIDC construction to cooling, servers, energy, and operations—to provide AIDCs with industry-leading cost efficiency.
Last year, SKT applied its high-performance, high-efficiency virtualization solution 'Petasus AI Cloud' to Haein, its GPU cluster built for GPUaaS, and this year plans to offer Petasus AI Cloud in the global market.
SKT will upgrade its sovereign AI foundation model, currently the largest in Korea at 519B parameters, to over 1T (one trillion parameters), securing AI sovereignty and driving innovation across industries. In particular, SKT plans to enhance the model by adding multimodal capabilities, enabling it to process not only image data but also voice and video data, starting in the second half of this year.
Moreover, SKT will focus on jointly developing a 'manufacturing-specialized AI solution' package with SK hynix to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's manufacturing industries, including semiconductors and energy. This package analyzes process data in real time to reduce defect rates and maximize equipment efficiency, and will be offered in three forms: infrastructure, model, and solution.
CEO Jung stated, "AIDC can be seen as the heart of Korea, and hyperscale LLMs as the brain. By combining SKT's AI capabilities with collaboration from domestic and global partners, we will lead true AI-native transformation for Korean customers and enterprises."
- Transforming Work Culture Around AI
CEO Jung emphasized, "To drive future growth, we must reinvent our way of working from the ground up. SKT will fundamentally transform its corporate culture to be centered around AI."
SKT has built an 'AX (AI Transformation) Dashboard' that provides a comprehensive view of AI utilization by department and individual, accelerating AI adoption across the organization. In addition, SKT operates an 'AI Board' to strengthen dedicated support for AX initiatives and is fostering a work environment and culture where employees can naturally incorporate AI into their daily tasks.
SKT has also built an 'AI playground,' enabling employees to easily develop and use AI agents for their work without coding. Currently, more than 2,000 AI agents are being actively used across areas such as marketing, legal, and PR.
CEO Jung stated, "By implementing company-wide AI upskilling education and campaigns, we will transform our organizational culture to be AI Native. Through SKT's new transformation, we will do our utmost to regain the trust of our customers and become a company that contributes to the nation and society."
About SK Telecom
SK Telecom has been leading the growth of the mobile industry since 1984. Now, it is taking customer experience to new heights by extending beyond connectivity. By placing AI at the core of its business, SK Telecom is rapidly transforming into an AI company with a strong global presence. It is focusing on driving innovations in areas of AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation (AIX) and AI Service to deliver greater value for industry, society, and life.
For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or visit our LinkedIn page www.linkedin.com/company/sk-telecom.
SOURCE SK Telecom
FAQ**
How does SK Telecom Co. Ltd. SKM plan to leverage its 'AI Native' strategy to enhance customer value and experience across its telecommunications services?
What specific measures will SK Telecom Co. Ltd. SKM take to ensure the successful integration of AI technology in its infrastructure and operations?
How does SK Telecom Co. Ltd. SKM intend to position itself as a leader in AI by developing hyperscale data centers and advanced AI models, and what impact will this have on its market competitiveness?
In what ways will SK Telecom Co. Ltd. SKM transform its corporate culture to be AI Native, and what support mechanisms will be established to facilitate this transition for employees?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about SK Telecom Co. Ltd. (NYSE: SKM).
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