SK Telecom to Launch Edge Cloud Services by Partnering with Amazon

Yoo Young-sang, head of SK Telecom’s MNO Business Division, announces the launch the world’s first 5G MEC-based edge cloud service in AWS Summit Online Korea on May 13.

SK Telecom will introduce 5G mobile edge computing (MEC)-based cloud service within this year for the first time in the world by partnering with global cloud operator Amazon Web Service (AWS), the company announced on May 13.

“We will launch the world’s top-level 5G edge cloud in 2020 through collaboration with AWS and lead innovation based on global cooperation,” said Yoo Young-sang, head of SK Telecom’s MNO Business Division, in a keynote speech at AWS Summit Online Korea on May 13.

5G edge cloud is a distributed cloud service that installs cloud data centers at exchanges and base stations to process data at the edges of a network. This service can dramatically reduce physical time and distance for processing data.

The collaboration between the two companies will be implemented by combining SK Telecom’s 5G MEC technology with AWS’ public cloud technology and services. MEC is a technology that installs a small data center in proximity to users to reduce data transmission intervals to enable ultra-low latency. If this technology is applied to a 5G edge cloud service, communication latency can shrink by up to 60 percent, and cloud services can be continuously provided to mobile users.