The TIP members will put focus on three areas -- access, backhaul, and core and management -- and also work together to find ways to accelerate the growth of the next generation network, or 5G, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“Today we’re taking the next step by partnering with telecom companies to develop new technologies that will reduce the cost of building mobile networks all over the world,” Mark Zuckerberg said via a Facebook post, announcing the formation of the TIP.

The Facebook CEO said that the global cooperation would save a great deal of costs in building and maintaining telecom infrastructure around the world, especially benefiting those who were marginalized from telecom services.

Facebook has led another global initiative, called Internet.org, since 2013 to help offer Internet access to those living in underserved areas of the world. Global IT giants Samsung and Intel take part in the Internet.org project.

The collaboration with Facebook and global telecom firms is expected to be a great boon for the Korean mobile carrier, which aims to take the lead in the next-generation network and to increase its global presence.

SKT is one of global mobile network operators that are trying to have the 5G network services up and running by 2020. The company plans to partially launch the next-gen mobile services in as early as 2017.

The partnership came on the heels of SKT’s decision in January this year to partake in the Open Compute Project, a global initiative led by Facebook to seek efficiency in running and operating data centers around the world by sharing the designs of data center products.

The Korean mobile carrier plans to share results of the R&D projects to be achieved through the TIP and OCP in the coming months.

“It is our belief that TIP cooperation will open up new possibilities in this aspect and SK Telecom is keen on contributing to this project.” said Park Jin-hyo, head of SKT’s network technology R&D center.

SKT has also paved the way for introducing its cloud streaming service, smart city solutions, “Lifeware” -- the company’s smart IT product lineup -- and 5G technologies in the European market by inking a partnership deal with leading European mobile carrier Deutsche Telekom.

SKT’s cloud streaming service, which allows IPTV or cable TV subscribers to watch videos on-demand without upgrading their existing set-top boxes, will be available for 6 million subscribers of Deutsche Telekom’s TV services.

The two partners, armed with advanced capabilities for smart city solutions, will jointly run projects to develop Internet of Things and big data services for smart city.

The Korean telecom heavyweight plans to provide information and communications technology services in 10 cities, including Busan, in Korea in the coming months.

SKT will work together with the European partner to promote its pico project UO Smart Beam Laser, a product of the Korean firm’s Lifeware lineup, in Europe, while it would bring Deutsche Telekom’s telematics solution, dubbed In-Car Wi-Fi, to the Korean market.

The Lifeware lineup is comprised of a group of IT products, such as a wearable band for kids and a smart air quality monitoring device.

“SK Telecom is excited to enter into a strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom, which holds a strong technology and market leadership across the globe,” said Jang Dong-hyun, CEO of SK Telecom.

“By building on each other’s strengths, we will unlock new growth opportunities and pave the way for the future ICT industry.”

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