South Korea’s major mobile carrier KT on Thursday pledged to expand its network business with local corporations, with a focus on incorporating the 5G cellular network into manufacturing processes.

During a press conference in downtown Seoul, KT said it would encourage local companies to adopt the 5G network in their factories and take advantage of smart factory solutions. The company vowed to expand its 5G business beyond commercial services for general consumers and to focus on smart factory solutions.

KT said it will introduce detailed business models in the third quarter of this year. While the company has yet to determine how much it will charge for building a smart factory system, pricing plans will be determined after the platform is installed in a few factories on a trial basis.

“It will be a steppingstone to enhancing the competitiveness of local manufacturing businesses,” said KT’s Senior Vice President Lee Yong-gyoo, who heads the 5G Platform Development Marketing Group. 

Smart factories are the mobile carrier’s major business-to-corporate strategy for the 5G network. According to KT’s business research institute, this segment will create 15.6 trillion won ($131 billion) worth of economic value in the manufacturing business by 2030.

The company also demonstrated how 5G networks would be used to boost productivity along with local developers, who provide key components for smart factories such as machine vision systems and other robotic management systems.

Based on an integrated control system called “Factorymakers,” users can manage manufacturing processes via the 5G network. The hyperspeed network can be used to detect flawed products within a second through machine vision technology.

“Easier and quicker connections to factory equipment and other platforms is our strength,” KT officials said. “Based on advanced connectivity, we can control the system remotely and repair damage immediately.”

The company added that it had enhanced the security of smart factory networks by separating public networks from factory intranet systems. Various forms of advanced technology -- such as cloud computing and blockchain technology -- are being used to process massive amounts of data promptly.

(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)