SK Telecom Research Articles

Model analysis on the economic impact of paid peering: Implications of the Netflix vs. SK broadband dispute

In April 2020, Netflix, Inc. and its Korean subsidiary Netflix Services Korea Ltd. filed a lawsuit against SK Broadband, Inc., seeking confirmation that there were no obligations to bear network costs. On June 25, 2021, the Seoul Central District Court rejected Netflix’s argument and acknowledged the existence of an obligation to negotiate fees. Netflix subsequently appealed the decision on November 5, 2021. However, on September 18, 2023, SK Broadband and parent SK Telecom suddenly announced in a joint statement with Netflix that they had agreed to establish a strategic partnership to end all disputes. This study provides an overview of the case, discusses the related concepts, and analyzes the meaning of the case outcome in terms of efficient resource allocation within the broadband ecosystem. A model analysis revealed that, with the freedom of price setting, the effect of introducing paid peering is neutral with respect to resource allocation; however, when that freedom is impaired, for example by price regulations or net neutrality obligations, the introduction of paid peering not only generates benefits for the introducing players and their customers but it also results in damage to overall social welfare. In addition, this study shows that paid peering can be used as a means of internalizing externalities when the external economies of network/content investment are considered. These arguments are expected to make a theoretical contribution to the debate on shifting the economic burden of network infrastructure to over-the-top players, and help the telecom regulator to better design universal broadband scheme.

Development of Seismic Intensity Maps Using Low-Cost Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Seismic Network

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), SK Telecom, and Kyungpook National University collaborated to develop the low-cost IoT seismometer (LCIS) that embeds a micro-electro-mechanical systems accelerometer and LTE communication sensor. Currently, approximately 7,000 stations (the average density is 0.07/km <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ) with LCIS devices are operating in real-time on the Korean Peninsula, which is about 25 times higher density than the national seismic network with high performance seismometers operated by KMA. The majority of LCISs are installed inside buildings so that adjustment is applied to convert to the free-surface equivalent vibration. Researchers derived seismic intensity maps using only LCIS network data, which showed very similar distributions to the maps from the high-performance network. This validates the usefulness of the LCIS network for Modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) map generation and earthquake early warning system.

Korean Firms’ Entry Strategy in Mongolia

Purpose - Korean firms have entered the Mongolia, the world’s top 10 resource rich country with huge market potential, since the diplomatic relations between Korea and Mongolia were established in 1990, but little is known about Korean firms’ entry strategy in the Mongolian market. With this background, this study aims to investigate the seven cases of Korean firms doing business in Mongolia (SK Telecom, Samsung S1, T-Money, E1 Energy, Cafe Bene, E-Mart, and CU). Methodology - this study is based on numerous primary and secondary data about the Mongolian market, as well as Korean firms in Mongolia. Findings - the following three implications were derived from our case analysis: first, when entering into Mongolia, a thorough analysis of political and social risks and a good understanding of institutional voids should be preceded. Second, for this reason, entering through cooperation with local partners, such as joint ventures or franchising, is expected to increase the possibility of success. Third, unlike in the early days of Korean firms in Mongolia, the business environment in Mongolia has become more stable and predictable, and a friendly atmosphere for Koreans and Korean firms is forming, increasing the possibility of success and settlement of Korean firms. Research implications - this study contributes to extant literature by providing more systematic research on Korean firms in Mongolia and by presenting practical implications through the analysis of success and failure cases of Korean firms in the Mongolian market.

Summoners’ Rift: Transmedia intertextuality in League of Legends esports fan discourse

This article examines fan articulations in response to a Facebook post announcing the results of the final match between G2 Esports and Fun Plus Phoenix (FPX) during the 2019 League of Legends World Championships. Five themes emerged after analysing the data, which are: (1) expressions of congratulations to FPX, the team that won the championship; (2) references to SK Telecom T1, a Korean team that has won the most titles in LoL World Championship history; (3) negative articulations towards G2, implying that they are a bad team; (4) statements discussing tactics and gameplay during the match; and (5) articulations that G2 deserved to lose because of their trash talking against their competitors on social media. This article argues that LoL fans’ comments drew on players’ knowledge of the game, and the fandom’s mediascape, thereby demonstrating the dynamics of transmedia intertextuality within their community. Fan articulations on G2’s poor performance, as well as the tactics and gameplay used by both teams during the finals, were informed by players’ knowledge of how to succeed in LoL. On the contrary, comments that articulated that G2 deserved to lose indicated fans’ familiarity with the Twitter trash talk that took place prior to the final matches. In this case study, LoL fans’ comments exemplify transmedia, with statements about the 2019 World Championship Finals drawing on knowledge from other media.

ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ МАРКЕТИНГОВИХ ІНСТРУМЕНТІВ ВІРТУАЛЬНОЇ ТА ДОПОВНЕНОЇ РЕАЛЬНОСТІ ДЛЯ МОДИФІКАЦІЇ ПОВЕДІНКИ СПОЖИВАЧІВ

The article forms the theoretical foundations of the use of marketing tools of virtual and augmented reality to modify consumer behavior. The mechanism of consumer buying behavior, which consists of five stages: awareness of the need, search for information about the product or service, evaluation of options, namely: comparative characteristics of goods, the final decision to purchase, based on all previous stages, feedback on a purchase, that is, the consumer determines his attitude to the purchase and the factors of influence, namely: psychological, personal, socio-cultural, marketing, situational. It is determined that the motives of the purpose and needs of the consumer are constantly changing. Two definitions are proposed: virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment with which an individual can truly interact using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves equipped with sensors, and augmented reality (AR) is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image of a real-world image, thus providing an augmented view. The results of AR/VR involvement were analyzed on the example of «OKKO», «Gucci», «LOWE’S», «SK Telecom», «Burger King». Virtual (VR) and augmented (AR) realities have been proven to be of great importance and value to the brand that uses them, as evidenced by increased sales («OKKO», «Burger King»); awareness, PR publications, awards («LOWE’S», «Burger King»); audience enthusiasm through new channels («Gucci», «LOWE’S»); innovation among competitors («Gucci»); new experiences for users and emotional intimacy; the versatility of tools for online and offline events that are not affected by the pandemic. A pilot study was conducted, which interviewed 202 respondents aged 19 to 28, who were asked 7 questions about possible areas of application of AR/VR technologies. It is established that the implementation of virtual and augmented reality tools has significant potential, is a benchmark for rational marketing decisions, and helps to increase loyalty and increase consumer confidence.

우리나라 대형통신기업의 경영효율성과 경기변동

Using the data of Korea's large telecommunication companies over the period 2000-2019, we measure and compare the efficiency levels of these companies and analyse the relationship between the efficiency level and business cycles. Important finding facts are as follows. 1)On average, the efficiency levels of Korea's large telecommunication companies have been lowered for last 20 years. 2)Among three companies, SK Telecom ranks first, KT ranks last and LG Uplus ranks middle in terms of efficiency levels. 3) Mostly, three companies have shown DRS, especially in the later period of last 20 years. 4)These companies' efficiency changes have shown pro-cyclical trends in the sales model, but counter-cyclical trends in the value-added model. 5) To prepare for new telecommunication technologies and the globalization of telecommunication markets, various policy implementation should be pursued urgently as soon as possible, which will result in faster managerial efficiency improvement.

Exploring the key services and players in the smart car market

The traditional role of cars as a means of transport is now expected to undergo major changes as a result of the emerging smart car industry, whereby connection to the Internet can not only improve traffic safety by enabling self-driving but also entertain passengers. Under these circumstances, it is important to explore the killer services that are expected to be in high demand by consumers and keystone players in the emerging market. This study identifies the promising services from a consumer's perspective using analytic hierarchy process analysis and examines experts' views on which industries and firms, as keystone players, are expected to provide the competitive killer services in the market. The results show that the service that consumers find the most important is driving assistance, followed by infotainment and Internet of Things hubs. Meanwhile, the experts rank the importance of industrial player as in the order of Information Technology device manufacturers, followed by platform providers, automobile manufacturers, and network providers, while at the company level, the rank is in the order of Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Naver, and SK Telecom, respectively. These findings show that consumers regard smart cars as futuristic vehicles, yet continue to emphasize their conventional value as a means of transport, while the experts expect that among the various industry players, IT companies are most likely to enable the concept of the smart car to become a reality.

An institutional analysis of environmental management in the Korean mobile communications industry

Environmental sustainability in the mobile communications industry can affect corporations not only in the sector but also in other industries by providing solutions to cope with environmental issues. However, despite the significance of environmental sustainability in the industry, there has been a lack of academic attention. This study investigated the environmental issues in the mobile communications industry by adopting an integrated and holistic approach to corporate sustainable management. In addition, the environmental management of mobile network operators was analyzed using the framework of institutional theory. To investigate the environmental management of mobile network operators, we carried out a case study on three Korean mobile network operators including SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus. The results demonstrated that economic and environmental issues were mostly found in the mobile communications industry, and the mobile network operators have actively coped with these issues. Their environmental management was relatively active, and regulatory, mimetic and normative mechanisms were working simultaneously. This study provides some meaningful implications for practitioners and policymakers.

“SK텔레콤의 창업지원 활동내용과 성과를” 통한 CSV 사례연구

SK 그룹은 창업초기부터, 기업은 기업활동을 통해 사회적 국가적 발전에 기여해야한다는 확고한 철학을 갖고 있었다. SK 그룹은 이러한 경영철학을 계승하면서 회사만의 고유한 사회공헌활동을 전개해 오고 있다. SK 그룹은 ‘행복경영철학’을 선언하고 실천하면서 전 계열사가 ‘모든 이해관계자들의 행복추구’를 경영이념으로 넣은 혁신적 시도에 동참하고 있다.BR SK 텔레콤 역시 기업 역량을 사회에 투자하는 방식으로 사회 공헌을 위한 활동을 실천해 오고 있다. 이 회사는 기업의 핵심 역량인 정보통신기술(ICT)을 활용하여 새롭고 창의적인 가치 창출을 위해 노력하고 있다. 특히 SK텔레콤은 2010년 이후 사회공헌활동의 연장선상에서, 그리고 일자리 창출의 하나로 “창업지원”을 꾸준히 실천해오고 있다.BR 전 세계가 경제 저성장 속에서 한국역시 일자리 창출을 위한 새로운 성장의 동력으로 창업에 대한 지원은 정부 차원에서 이루어지고 있다. 이를 위해 창업 생태계 구축을 위한 대기업 및 민간 지원과 협조는 절대적으로 필요한 상황이다. 그러나, 한국의 창업 생태계를 보면 정부의 지원에도 불구하고 생존율 등은 OECD 국가 중 최하위를 보이고 있다. 이는 정부의 규제, 상생적 이득을 가져올 수 있다는 대기업의 확신 부재, 여기에 창업 지원을 위한 사회 문화적 여건이 마련되지 못하였기 때문이다.BR 이런 상황적 여건에도 불구하고, SK텔레콤이 2013년 이후 2017년까지 지속해온 창업 지원 및 청년 창업지원을 위한 프로그램을 운영 발전시켜 온 것은 매우 고무적인 일이다. 실제적으로 “브라보! 리스타트(Bravo! Restart)” 등을 통해 SK텔레콤의 창업 지원을 받은 46개 업체는 2016년 3분기 기준으로 250억원 가량의 매출을 기록하고 있다.BR 이 사례 보고서의 목적은 SK텔레콤의 “창업 지원” CSV 활동의 내용과 그 성과를 소개하는데 있다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 SK텔레콤의 창업지원 및 청년 창업 지원을 위해 세운 프로그램 내용 및 세부적 실천내용과 그 성과를 상세히 기술하였으며, SK텔레콤 및 대기업의 창업지원 활동을 지속 강화하기 위해서 필요한 미래과제를 논의하였다.

IL-7Rα &lt;sup&gt;low&lt;/sup&gt; CD8 &lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; T Cells from Healthy Individuals Are Anergic with Defective Glycolysis

Effector memory (EM) CD8+ T cells expressing lower levels of interleukin-7 receptor alpha (IL-7Rαlow) from healthy individuals are partly compromised in vitro, but the identity of these cells has remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that IL-7Rαlow EM CD8+ T cells are naturally occurring anergic cells in vivo, impaired in proliferation and IL-2 production, but competent in IFN-γ and TNF-α production, a state that can be restored by IL-2 stimulation. IL-7Rαlow EM CD8+ T cells show decreased expression of GATA3 and c-MYC and are defective in metabolic reprogramming towards glycolysis, a process required for the proliferation of T cells. In particular, mouse IL-7Rαlow memory CD8+ T cells show anergic phenotypes similar to those in humans, but induce severe graft-versus-host disease upon allogeneic T-cell transplantation, suggesting that these cells can be restored to normality or increased activity by inflammatory conditions and may serve as a reservoir for functional immunity. Funding Statement: This work was supported in part by the Creative-Pioneering Researchers Program through Seoul National University (to H.-R. Kim); the Korea Healthcare Technology Research and Development Project, Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs (HI17C0534 to H.-R. Kim); the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOE) (2017R1A4A1015745 to H.-R. Kim); and the SK Telecom Research Fund (3420130260 to H.-R. Kim). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This work was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of Seoul National University Hospital (# 0905-014-280) and Samsung Medical Center (# 2015-09-053). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All experimental protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Seoul National University (IACUC No. SNU-171024-1-3 and SNU-171206-1-1). All experiments were performed in accordance with the IACUC guidelines of Seoul National University.

Design of a Shipboard Outside Communication Network and Its Testbed Using PLC: For Safety Management during the Ship Building Process

For the shipbuilding industry worldwide, work-related accidents at the construction site have been a major concern. Workers at the shipyards are consistently exposed to dangerous environments and their intensity of work is quite high. Considering the complexity of the shipbuilding process, efficient communications between workers are essential in the workplace, but current communication methods, which mostly use wireless technologies, are sometimes limited by the structural blocks, creating shadow areas where the radio bands cannot reach. As a countermeasure, SUNCOM Co., Ltd in the Republic of Korea has developed the PLC-based communication system followed by establishing a test-bed facility in cooperation with SK Telecom Co., Ltd and the Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. This system and applied technologies are expected to reduce accidents in the field and be applied for other industries having the same problem, providing an uninterrupted communication environment and safer working conditions. The solution adopted this time can provide mobile communication services inside the ship during shipbuilding, thereby enabling rapid processing of work reports and instructions and fast responses to disaster occurrence, contributing to improvements in work efficiency in shipbuilding yards and ensuring workers’ safety.

Selective I/O Bypass and Load Balancing Method for Write-Through SSD Caching in Big Data Analytics

Fast network quality analysis in the telecom industry is an important method used to provide quality service. SK Telecom, based in South Korea, built a Hadoop-based analytical system consisting of a hundred nodes, each of which only contains hard disk drives (HDDs). Because the analysis process is a set of parallel I/O intensive jobs, adding solid state drives (SSDs) with appropriate settings is the most cost-efficient way to improve the performance, as shown in previous studies. Therefore, we decided to configure SSDs as a write-through cache instead of increasing the number of HDDs. To improve the cost-per-performance of the SSD cache, we introduced a selective I/O bypass (SIB) method, redirecting the automatically calculated number of read I/O requests from the SSD cache to idle HDDs when the SSDs are I/O over-saturated, which means the disk utilization is greater than 100 percent. To precisely calculate the disk utilization, we also introduced a combinational approach for SSDs because the current method used for HDDs cannot be applied to SSDs because of their internal parallelism. In our experiments, the proposed approach achieved a maximum 2x faster performance than other approaches.

Broadcasting and Telecommunications Industries in the Convergence Age: Toward a Sustainable Public-Centric Public Interest

The emergence of new digital technologies, such as the Internet and new business models such as over-the-top (OTT) operators that utilize them, has transformed the media and broadcasting industries. As advanced technologies and business models are adopted, convergence between the broadcasting and telecommunication (“telecom”) sectors has become a common business practice. Using the South Korean case study of a failed acquisition attempt of CJ HelloVision by SK Telecom, this research identifies the three essential features (economic, sociocultural, and industrial structure issues) related to convergence in the broadcasting and media industries. Further, this study reveals the potential consequences of convergence to the public, industry, and society, and offers critical implications for future policy direction. Finally, this study suggests the need for a change in the policy direction in the age of convergence in the broadcasting and media industries. In addition, it calls for the importance of a public-centric public benefit. Social and consumer welfare, and not profit or industrial growth, should dictate the public interest orientation in the broadcasting and media industries. Therefore, the meaning of public interest in broadcasting and media should not be limited in the industrial context of media; rather, it should consider the access to service by the public, the condition of consumption, and its consequences in the perspective of social and consumer welfare.

A Big Data Analytics Architecture for the Internet of Small Things

The SK Telecom Company of South Korea recently introduced the concept of IoST to its business model. The company deployed IoST, which constantly generates data via the LoRa wireless platform. The increase in data rates generated by IoST is escalating exponentially. After attempting to analyze and store the massive volume of IoST data using existing tools and technologies, the South Korean company realized the shortcomings immediately. The current article addresses some of the issues and presents a big data analytics architecture for its IoST. A system developed using the proposed architecture will be able to analyze and store IoST data efficiently while enabling better decisions. The proposed architecture is composed of four layers, namely the small things layer, infrastructure layer, platform layer, and application layer. Finally, a detailed analysis of a big data implementation of the IoST used to track humidity and temperature via Hadoop is presented as a proof of concept.

An Exploratory Study on Leveraging of Market Power through Bundling : Focusing on a Case of Mixed Combination of Enterprise between SK Telecom and CJ HelloVision

An Exploratory Study on Leveraging of Market Power through Bundling : Focusing on a Case of Mixed Combination of Enterprise between SK Telecom and CJ HelloVision

이동통신 자료 전수화를 통한 존재인구 산정 방안

본 연구에서는 이동통신 자료를 활용하여 존재인구를 산정하기 위한 방안을 제시하였다. 존재인구란 특정 시간 및 공간 단위에 거주하거나 활동하는 인구로 정의하였다. 이를 위하여 SKT에서 제공하는 이동통신 자료를 활용하였으며, 통신확률 개념을 적용하여 이동통신 자료의 전수화를 통한 존재인구 산정 방안을 제시하였다. 서울시 개별 구를 대상으로 시간대별 존재인구를 산정한 후, 이를 활용하여 일간 존재인구 및 존재인구지수를 도출하였으며, 통계청에서 제공하고 있는 주간인구 및 주간인구지수와의 비교분석을 통해 두 값 사이에 강한 양의 상관관계가 있음을 제시하였다. 이처럼 시간대별, 일간 존재인구 산정에 이동통신 자료를 활용할 경우 기존의 조사 방법에 비해 비용 효율적이며, 합리적이고 일관성 있는 결과를 도출할 수 있을 것으로 판단되며, 본 연구에서 제시된 시간대별, 요일별 패턴 분석 등을 통해 보다 합리적인 정책 수립과 행정력 배분이 가능할 것으로 사료된다. Recently, mobile phone data was applied in travel demand modeling as a new source of dynamic population movement. This study is also aimed to estimate "occupancy population" during a given period of time within a given spatial region using mobile phone data. An occupancy population was defined as the number of people residing or moving within a given time and space. In case of Seoul Metropolitan area, we divided the area into a number of administrative districts as zones for analysis and estimated the occupancy population of each zone by mobile phone data collected by SK telecom Co., a wireless telecommunication provider in Korea. For the expansion of mobile phone data, a new concept of "communication probability" was introduced and applied in the estimation of occupancy population of each zone by the hour. We compared the estimated number with the daytime population and the daytime population index referred by the Statistics Korea. The results showed that a positive correlation existed between the estimated number and the statistical number by nationwide survey. It was concluded that mobile phone data could be more cost-effective sources than a conventional survey method to estimate the pattern of population movement by the hour or by the day.

Kakao in Korea: Increasingly Shaking the Market

Kakao is a fast growing software company focused on providing innovative smartphone applications. The company is rooted in the Korean mobile communication market where customer demands for high speed connectivity have been growing sharply. Kakao maintains the top position in the category of mobile communication utility tool for the last three years and competes successfully with other new comers. However, the company faces tremendous external threat from traditional smartphone carriers, SK Telecom, KT and LG U+. Those telecommunication conglomerates view the rapid growth of Kakao as a dangerous possibility that may deprive them of revenue streams from their traditional cash cows of texting and voice calling. Moreover, traditional software champions, Naver and Daum, steadily expand their market shares by differentiating themselves. Those competitors have strong brand assets, innovation capabilities and market sensitivity. After three years in the mobile software market, Kakao faces constraints to its growth potential. Kakao tries to overcome the situation by positioning itself as a new mobile platform leader that connects potential customers and game publishers. In addition, the company wants to speed up innovation for sustaining its reputation through a financial transfusion from external investors. Instead of choosing an easier option of being merged or acquired, the company clearly sets its course to fight against external challenges. How can Kakao overcome the difficulty and sustain growth? What kind of strategic choices can be executable?

MVNO정책 타당성 연구

In Korea MVNO was introduced in 2011 when twenty seven years had passed since Korea Mobile Telecom(now SK Telecom) started mobile phone service. MVNO can make competition more effective to lower communication costs through the alternatives. In the early 2000s, the need for the introduction of the MVNO has been raised already by scholars in Korea. But it wasn't until the late 2000s when rate cuts appeared to be a major policy issue, and Korean government introduced MVNO. In April 2015, MVNO's market share reached 8.8%, but Korea does not have a firm system yet. This rapid growth of MVNO market in Korea was made possible by consumers' demand for cheaper services and late introduction of MVNO. And telecom companies(MNO) abuse their supreme power against small and medium firm MVNOs and reserved market share using their subsidiary companies. Thus proper regulation is necessary. However, the government authorities should have recognized global MVNO flow quickly and have to make a sufficient effort to establish proper competition condition of the mobile telecom market.

The Leadership Competition of Smart Platforms in the ICT Ecosystem: Comparative Analysis of Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom in the Appcessory Market

The Leadership Competition of Smart Platforms in the ICT Ecosystem: Comparative Analysis of Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom in the Appcessory Market

랜덤 수 생성 회로를 이용한 EMI Noise 저감 회로

Abstract This paper proposes Relaxation Oscillator with Random Number Generator to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise. DC-DC Converter with Relaxation Oscillator is presented how much spurious noise effects to RF Receiver system. The main frequency of the proposed Relaxation oscillator is 7.9 MHz to operate it and add temperature compensation block to be applied to the frequency compensation in response to temperature changes. The DC-DC Converter Spurious noise is reduced up to 20 dB through changing frequency randomly. It is fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The active area occupies an area of 220 μm×280 μm. The supply voltage is 1.8 V and current consumption is 500 μA.Key words: Relaxation Oscillator, EMI, Random Number Generator, Temperature Compensation tœžŸs— ž(College of Information & Communication Engineering, SungKyunKwan University) *SK i¢(SK Telecom)Manuscript received July 6, 2015 ; Revised September 4, 2015 ; Accepted September 11, 2015. (ID No. 20150706-07S)Corresponding Author: Kang-Yoon Lee (e-mail: klee@skku.edu)