Korea’s leading mobile carrier SK Telecom said Sunday it would expand global partnerships by showcasing new services and products at the upcoming Mobile World Congress trade show to be held in Barcelona next week.

The Korean mobile carrier was in the spotlight at the annual mobile trade fair last year with its information technology products, such as its smart handheld projector, an educational robot and a smartphone case equipped with a film solar panel -- mostly developed in collaboration with Korean start-ups.

At this year’s event to be held from Feb. 22 to 25, the firm said it would focus on showcasing platforms for information and communications technology ranging from the Internet of Things smart everyday devices to multimedia.

“Some of the platforms to be displayed at the MWC include those for lifestyle products and services, like wearables for kids and pets, 8K UHD TV content transmission, smart home, IoT and the 5G network,” an SKT official said.

“SKT has been trying to commercialize these next-generation platforms and discuss future partnerships with global ICT firms during the MWC,” the official said.

The company expects its 360-degree hologram technology for telecommunications and a smart kitchen table that displays recipes for dishes when users put ingredients on the table to wow MWC visitors during the four-day event.

In order to help promising Korean start-ups tap into global markets, SKT will also set aside space at its exhibition booth for four Korean start-ups to display their products.

Aiming to spearhead the race for the 5G network, the company is expected to showcase the next-generation network technology that offers data speeds of 20 gigabits per second for the first time in the world during the event.

This is the minimum network speed for the 5G network set by the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union, an international organization for telecom standards.

The 5G network, anticipated to be commercialized by 2020, will accelerate the deployment of futuristic technologies previously only depicted in science-fiction movies, such as virtual reality, holograms and communications between autonomous vehicles, according to SKT.

Many top executives from the mobile carrier, including CEO Chang Dong-hyun, and chief technology officer Choi Jin-sung will have meetings with their global partners to discuss collaboration for the next-gen platforms and 5G, according to the Seoul-headquartered firm.

Participating in a 5G conference during the trade show, CTO Choi will share his vision and road map for the 5G network with global information and communications technology firms, including Nokia, Ericsson and Telstra.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)