SK Telecom (SKT) is optimistic about its metaverse platform, ifland, and aims to expand its influence in the Asia Pacific region by forming new collaborations in Malaysia and the Philippines. ifland is SK Telecom's metaverse service, which provides a variety of social networking features and is expanding globally through collaboration with various partners.
The metaverse concept, popularized by science fiction and, more recently, by technology companies, represents a convergence of virtual reality, augmented reality, and the internet. SK Telecom's entrance into this arena signifies its acknowledgment of the metaverse as a significant trend that heralds the potential for widespread adoption and economic impact.
Fostering Growth
The South Korean operator announced in a translated statement that it has expanded its ifland partner list to include Malaysian telco, CelcomDigi, and CHERRY—a Philippine Internet of Things (IoT) platform.
The agreements will provide a locally-optimized metaverse platform, with CelcomDigi and CHERRY focusing on local brand partnerships, specialized marketing, and primary customer support in their respective markets.
The objective is to expedite the growth of ifland into Southeast Asia. Additionally, it's important to highlight that CelcomDigi had previously committed to partnering with SKT on metaverse initiatives. Both companies previously announced their collaboration on expanding ifland and innovating new business concepts.
Yang Maeng-seok, the head of SK Telecom's metaverse division, cited Malaysia and the Philippines as key markets for ifland's international expansion. He went on to say that through collaboration with local companies and the introduction of AI, the company will be reborn as a 'global AI metaverse.'
CelcomDigi's Chief Innovation Officer, Kugan Thirunavakarasu, stated that the company will work to innovate in the metaverse and increase customer value through CelcomDigi's network technology and AI-based solutions.
Navigating New Markets
In addition to its activities in the Asia Pacific region, SKT has expressed its commitment to exploring partnerships in the Americas while emphasizing the interplay between the metaverse and AI.
Furthermore, it intends to enhance the user experience for a global audience by introducing additional supported languages, including Malay, Indonesian, Hindi, and Spanish, within the first half of the year. Moreover, a feature enabling personalized content recommendations based on user characteristics by region is currently being developed.
