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| Huh Suk-zoon, senior vice president of the KT Institute of Economics & Business Research, introduces the company's B2B businesses in digital transition services at an international conference co-hosted with the Korea Information Society Development Institute at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of KT |
By Kim Bo-eun
Telecom operator KT, which seeks to transform itself into a digital platform company, pledged Tuesday to become a leading firm helping the private and public sector make the digital transition as the trend accelerates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company announced plans to strengthen its capabilities in AI, Big Data and Cloud as well as its B2B business in digital transition services, at an international conference co-hosted with the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI). The conference, titled "Digital transformation & AI ecosystem for future industries," was hosted both online and offline in Seoul, Tuesday.
"Digital transition requires technology and infrastructure such as AI, Big Data and Cloud. KT is focusing on the B2B market for AI, Big Data and Cloud businesses," KT Institute of Economics & Business Research Senior Vice President Huh Suk-zoon said.
He said this is a global trend, with major telecom firms such as AT&T, BT, Telstra and Orange taking steps to acquire businesses outside of the telecom sector, such as cloud and security, over the past decade as markets for telecom services reached saturation. KT plans to expand revenue from non-telecom businesses to account for half of its total sales by 2025. KT currently operates businesses in 14 core sectors of digital transformation.
It offers end-to-end services spanning consulting to services in setting up businesses and managing these entities. The company has also joined hands with universities and research institutes to develop AI, cloud and metaverse technologies.
"KT is offering various cloud-based platforms such as AI, Big Data, iOT and blockchain needed for this transition in private sectors such as finance, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics as well as the public sector," Huh said.
KISDI research fellow Kim Kyung-hoon shared the status of AI technology in Korea and proposals for related policies.
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| An international conference on digital transformation and AI co-hosted by KT and the Korea Information Society Development Institute takes place at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of KT |
Various overseas-based speakers shared their insight about smart cities, the models of AI application in the medical sector, and how the growth of AI technology is assisted by private companies.
Florian Kirchbuchner, of Fraunhofer IGD, a Germany-based research institute for applied visual computing, spoke about the revolution of smart cities. Kirchbuchner heads Smart & Biometric Technologies at the institute.
Siemens Digital Industry Software Korea Managing Director Oh Byung-joon shared the company's strategy for successful digital transition, focusing on smart factories and digital manufacturing. Siemens is a tech company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport and healthcare.
The conference also invited various figures from France to introduce how the public and private sectors are working together in AI projects in healthcare. Among the speakers were GE Healthcare's Imaging R&D Director Baptiste Perrin, Beaujon APHP Chair of Radiology Valerie Vigrain and Henri Mondor APHP's imaging department professor Alain Luciani.
Julien Billot, CEO of Scale AI in Canada, introduced the country's AI supercluster. Scale AI offers funding, guidance and human resources for AI projects.
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