Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- South Korea's largest mobile carrier SK Telecom, involved in the establishment of a 5G mobile network, signed a joint venture agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest broadcasting companies in the United States, to develop a next-generation broadcasting solution and equipment.

Under the deal, signed in Las Vegas on Tuesday, the two companies agreed to launch a joint venture in the first quarter of this year by injecting $16.5 million each and co-develop broadcasting solutions based on Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0. ATSC is a group, established in 1982, to develop eponymous standards for digital television in the United States.

The solution enables data communications in broadcasting bands and provide new services such as personalized advertisements, TV broadcasting and map updates for moving vehicles and support features such as 4K ultra-high definition, hyperdynamic range (HDR) and mobile viewing which are currently provided by selected cable TV companies and over the top (OTT) services.

"SK Telecom will work closely with Sinclair Broadcast Group to gain leadership in the next-generation broadcasting solutions market in the U.S.," SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho said, adding his company would strengthen cooperation with foreign and domestic partners to provide 5G media services.

SK Telecom and Sinclair will work together to develop their new broadcasting solution this year. They agreed to actively provide ATSC 3.0 standards-based solutions to all U.S broadcasting companies and target the global market. The solution was commercialized in South Korean in 2017 when some domestic TV stations launched an ultra high definition (UHD) service.