Deutsche Telekom is expanding its partnership with SK Telecom to form a joint venture on advanced 5G in-building solutions. Each company will hold 50 percept in the Germany-based JV, which is still subject to regulatory approval. The transaction is expected to be finalized before the end of the year. Under the JV agreement, the companies will also assess opportunities to cooperate in the fields of augmented reality and virtual reality services, mobile edge computing (MEC) and the app market.
SK Telekom will contribute to the JV with technology the Korean operator has developed over the years. The company has already provided 5G/LTE dual-mode repeaters to support Telekom’s customer trial for in-building coverage. The test was carried out in the cities Berlin, Hamburg, Bonn, Cologne, Munich, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Leipzig, from August to October of this year. The trial showed that users experienced significant improvement in 5G and LTE for both voice and data experience with this test device. The joint venture plans to complete the development of an advanced 5G/LTE dual-mode repeater.
