SK Telecom announced on July 13 that it will supply low-earth orbit satellite communication to the Korea Expressway Corporation, following its previous partnership with Korea Electric Power Corporation. This initiative marks the first application of low-earth orbit satellite communication in South Korea's road and traffic infrastructure, demonstrating the technology's expansion into public disaster response areas beyond maritime and energy sectors.
In June, SK Telecom established a collaboration with Korea Electric Power Corporation and Starlink Korea to implement low-earth orbit satellite communication in the national power infrastructure. Now, it has set up mobile Starlink terminals for the Korea Expressway Corporation, enabling rapid deployment in emergencies caused by heavy rain, wildfires, or earthquakes, where terrestrial communication networks may fail or in areas lacking coverage.
The Korea Expressway Corporation has completed initial installations at ten regional headquarters. It plans to gradually expand the application scope after verifying stability and usability in real disaster response environments.
Lee Shin-yong, head of SK Telecom's satellite business division, stated, "We will enhance our operations in the public safety sector, which is directly linked to the lives of citizens, by integrating our low-earth orbit satellite communication capabilities with quantum encryption-based security technology and monitoring capabilities, focusing on areas such as maritime safety."
Additionally, SK Telecom formed a strategic partnership with Starlink in September 2023 to establish a foundation for providing low-earth orbit satellite communication services in South Korea. The service supports transmission speeds of up to 220 megabits per second (Mbps), enabling high-bandwidth services that were previously challenging in environments with speeds below 10 Mbps.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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