LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Sunday it has joined hands with a Japanese telecommunication firm and a Taiwanese drone maker to develop smart drone solutions.

Under a memorandum of understanding with Japan's KDDI Corp. and Taiwan's Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corp. (CIRC), LG Uplus will cooperate in the development of a drone control platform.

The system is designed to better transmit images or videos recorded by drones to control centers, via LTE or 5G telecommunications. It also aims to help users remote control drones more efficiently by providing various airspace information and flying routes.

CIRC makes lightweight drones as well as a "drone station" -- a battery charging device for drones.

The three plan to interconnect the platform with CIRC's drones and drone stations by the end of this year and will explore business opportunities related with the system next year, according to LG Uplus.

The South Korean telecom operator said its drone platform can be used in areas like disaster control, such as on-site inspection of wildfires and facility management in industrial complexes. (Yonhap)