KT and Nokia Networks have launched the first IoT lab in South Korea after entering a collaboration earlier this year.
The laboratory will conduct interworking and verification testing of emerging IoT technologies over Nokia Networks' LTE infrastructure.
It will provide IoT-related technical support and knowledge to small and medium-sized Korean companies seeking to enter global markets.
“Together with Nokia Networks, we are leveraging upon the convergence of IT and Telecommunications to hasten our transformation into an ICT powerhouse,” KT head of future convergence business office Yun Kyoung-Lim commented.
“Furthermore, this lab is a strong iteration of our vision to become the number one player in Korea's IoT market. Our efforts are aimed at encouraging greater participation by domestic companies, which are a crucial factor in driving the change towards a creative IoT-based economy.”
The launch is based on an agreement between KT and Nokia announced during Mobile World Congress in March covering collaboration to usher in the “programmable world.”
The partnership will also involve jointly conducting the first LTE-Machine-to-Machine (LTE-M) field trial by the fourth quarter of the year.
Joint IoT projects between operators and vendors are becoming more common. China Telecom recently announced that in partnership with Gemalto it has developed a proof-of-concept method of securely connecting cars and the wider IoT.