Korean mobile carriers and construction firms collaborate further to develop smart homes

The smart home industry is being pursued actively in South Korea, evidenced by a new partnership forged between SK Telecom (SKT) and Hyundai Development Company (HDC) to build next-generation homes, according to The Korea Herald.

SKT announced earlier this week that it will collaborate with HDC and its home network affiliate HDC I-Controls. SKT’s artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will be applied to HDC’s flagship I-Park apartments.

I-Park residents who sign up for the smart home service will benefit by using new technologies to control indoor lights, temperatures, playing with the latest power control and gatekeeping sensors, among others.

Residents will be able to control home appliances via smartphone app, besides using voice commands via SKT’s AI service which is known as NUGU.

“Calling up an elevator and checking out parcels will be available by speaking to the NUGU platform,” said an SKT spokesman. “Yet, what kind of form the NUGU platform will take is still under talks.”

SKT is the first mobile carrier in South Korea to provide AI and IoT services to construction firms, the company says.

SKT’s technologies will be applied to I-Park apartments that are set to be parceled out later this year.

The mobile carrier has been an active participant in the smart home sector. It began partnering with constructors since last February. It struck a deal with Hyundai Engineering and Construction. So far SKT has formed partnership with 16 construction firms and around 60 electronics makers to provide IoT services. As of February, the company provides IoT services to about 150,000 households.

SKT has said that it will provide its AI-based set-top box GiGA Gene for Lotte Castle residents in Yeongdo, Busan, which is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.

The company noted it inked a memorandum of understanding with Daelim E&C recently to provide SKT’s AI services for Acro Seoul Forest to be constructed in Seongsu-dong, northern Seoul, by next May. Furthermore, Daelim plans to apply the SKT technologies to its signature e-Pyeonghansesang apartments.