KT forges partnership with Hyundai's in-house venture to cooperate in smart mobility platform business

By KwakMin-jung Posted : December 26, 2019, 14:06 Updated : December 28, 2019, 10:09

[Gettyimages Bank]

SEOUL -- KT, South Korea's largest telecom company, has forged with Poen, Hyundai Motor's in-house battery-recycling venture startup, and AIMS, a local smart mobility battery maker, to cooperate in a smart mobility business platform business.

KT said in a statement on Thursday that the company, Poen and AIMS have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop and operate a smart mobility business platform. KT will provide eMTC (enhanced machine-type communication) technology while Poen and AIMS provide battery management technologies and mobility management platform technology.

eMTC, also known as LTE-M, is a type of low power wide area network (LPWAN) technology that enables the connection between internet of things (IoT) devices and other machines. It has a higher data rate and covers more area than a WiFi or Bluetooth wireless connection. Also, it is more stable, making it ideal for creating a network of IoT devices or mobility vehicles in a designated area such as parks and city districts.

"Through this cooperation agreement, we will provide eMTC-based personal mobility services," KT's device business head Lee Hyun-seok was quoted as saying.

South Korea is an emerging battlefield for smart mobility or personal mobility service operators. In May this year, KT has partnered with Daelim Motorcycle, a domestic motorcycle maker, and AJ Bike, a motorbike rental service wing of South Korea's leading car rental service operator AJ Rent-a-Car, to develop and operate a smart mobility business using electric motorbikes.

Kakao Mobility, the mobility service wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao, started the test operation of its electric bicycle-sharing service in two satellite cities of Seoul in March and received positive feedback from users.
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