The telco expects to launch a remote smart metering system in partnership with Chinese companies
Korean telecom operator SK Telecom is planning to enter the Chinese internet of things (IoT) market with the launch of a remote smart metering system for a gas utility, Korean press reported.
To achieve this, SK Telecom has entered into an agreement with the Economic and Information Commission of Chongqing Province, Chongqing Gas and China Mobile to develop a remote gas metering system using an IoT network in Chongqing, a major city in southwest China.
According to the report, Chongqing is one of nine pilot cities selected by the Chinese government in 2013 to develop smart city initiatives. The city has already signed strategic partnerships with companies such as IT giant Tencent and video surveillance products supplier Hikvision with the aim of accelerating digitization.
Under the terms of the deal, SK Telecom will establish its own IoT network in Chongqing using base stations operated by China Mobile. Chongqing Gas will likely finance the metering system, according to the report.
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The new system will help the Chinese utility to check the gas usage of 4.5 million households in Chongqing without the need of rolling trucks and visiting each house, according to SK Telecom.
SK Telecom also announced the launch of a pilot service of smart streetlights in China in cooperation with Korean start-ups including Ecolant, a smart lighting solutions provider.
“We plan to offer diverse IoT services in China including position detection services for the elderly and children as well as on-going remote gas meter systems and smart streetlight services,” said Cha In-hyok, head of the IoT business division at SK Telecom. “In the longer term we aim to create new business models catered to China based on big data collected through the IoT network we have established,” the executive added.