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SK Telecom Expands Metaverse in Asia with New Partnerships

SK Telecom has ambitious plans for global expansion of ifland, its metaverse platformThe telco has further expanded its partner ecosystem to enable the develop…

By Hema Kadia
Last Updated: April 5, 2024

SK Telecom Advances Metaverse Presence with Strategic Southeast Asian Partnerships

SK Telecom, a leader in telecommunications from South Korea, is charting a bold course in the expansion of its metaverse platform, ifland, into Southeast Asia through strategic partnerships with CelcomDigi Berhad in Malaysia and Cherry in the Philippines. These collaborations aim to tailor the metaverse experience to regional tastes, leveraging local brand partnerships, marketing strategies, and customer support.

Expanding Digital Horizons with Localized Metaverse Platforms

SK Telecom’s initiative is not just about introducing its metaverse platform, ifland, to new markets; it’s about creating a version of the virtual world that resonates with local cultures and preferences. By working closely with CelcomDigi, Malaysia’s telecom frontrunner, and Cherry, an influential Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform in the Philippines, SK Telecom intends to offer a metaverse platform that feels right at home in Southeast Asia.

These partnerships are pivotal in SK Telecom’s broader strategy to lead in providing immersive metaverse experiences globally. By focusing on local brand collaborations, specialized marketing initiatives, and primary customer support, CelcomDigi and Cherry are set to play a crucial role in ifland’s adoption and adaptation in their respective markets.

AI Integration in SK Telecom’s Metaverse

A standout feature of SK Telecom’s strategy is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within ifland. By the end of the year, the platform plans to introduce AI features that are unprecedented in the metaverse landscape. These include AI non-player characters (NPCs) that can communicate in local languages and reflect regional cultures, and a 3D AI studio capable of generating culturally specific items and spaces using generative AI technologies.

The ambition here is to fuse metaverse and AI to offer a seamless, global AI metaverse experience that transcends geographical and cultural barriers. Support for languages like Malay, Indonesian, Hindi, and Spanish is anticipated to roll out within the first half of the year, further emphasizing SK Telecom’s commitment to a globally accessible metaverse.

SK Telecom’s Strategy for Global Metaverse Presence

The partnerships with CelcomDigi and Cherry are part of SK Telecom’s grand vision for ifland’s global expansion, with Southeast Asia serving as the launchpad. Beyond this region, SK Telecom is eyeing potential collaborations in the Americas, indicating a strategic approach to becoming a dominant player in the global AI metaverse arena.

By enriching ifland with more supported languages and a curation feature that tailors content recommendations to the user’s regional characteristics, SK Telecom aims to enhance the global metaverse experience significantly.

Conclusion

SK Telecom’s foray into Southeast Asia with its metaverse platform, ifland, through strategic partnerships with CelcomDigi and Cherry, marks a significant step in its global expansion strategy. By localizing the metaverse experience and integrating innovative AI features, SK Telecom is not just aiming for technological leadership but also for a deep, cultural resonance with its new markets. The move is a bold stride towards creating a truly global, AI-driven metaverse that bridges cultures and transcends boundaries.

Infosys to buy 75% of Telstra’s Versent for AI JV

Tech News & Insight
August 17, 2025
Hema Kadia

Infosys will acquire a 75% stake in Telstra’s Versent Group for approximately $153 million to launch an AI-led cloud and digital joint venture aimed at Australian enterprises and public sector agencies. Infosys will hold operational control with 75% ownership, while Telstra retains a 25% minority stake. The JV blends Telstra’s connectivity footprint, Versents local engineering depth and Infosys global scale and AI stack. With Topaz and Cobalt, Infosys can pair model development and orchestration with landing zones, FinOps, and MLOps on major hyperscaler platforms. Closing is expected in the second half of FY 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.

AI startups scale revenue faster than cloud-era SaaS

Tech News & Insight
August 17, 2025
Hema Kadia

New data shows AI-native startups hitting ARR milestones faster than cloud cohorts, reshaping SaaS and telecom with agents, memory and 2025 priorities.

AI
AWS, Customer Service, Cybersecurity, GenAI, Google, GPU, Meta, OpenAI, Perplexity, SaaS, Startups

Deutsche Telekom AI Phone: Bundled AI for Everyone

Tech News & Insight
August 15, 2025
Hema K

Deutsche Telekom is using hardware, pricing, and partnerships to make AI a mainstream feature set across mass-market smartphones and tablets. Deutsche Telekom introduced the T Phone 3 and T Tablet 2, branded as the AI-phone and AI-tablet, with Perplexity as the embedded assistant and a dedicated magenta button for instant access. In Germany, the AI-phone starts at 149 and the AI-tablet at 199, or one euro each when bundled with a tariff, positioning AI features at entry-level price points and shifting value to services and connectivity. The bundle includes an 18-month Perplexity Pro subscription in addition to the embedded assistant, plus three months of Picsart Pro with monthly credits, which lowers the barrier to adopting AI-powered creation and search.

AI, Devices
Deutsche Telekom, Devices, GenAI, Partnerships, Perplexity

Zayo Amend-and-Extend to 2030 for AI Network Expansion

Tech News & Insight
August 15, 2025
Hema K

Zayo has secured creditor backing to push major debt maturities to 2030, creating headroom to fund network expansion as AI-driven demand accelerates. Zayo entered into a transaction support agreement dated July 22, 2025, with holders of more than 95% of its term loans, secured notes, and unsecured notes to amend terms and extend maturities to 2030. By extending maturities, Zayo lowers refinancing risk in a higher-for-longer rate environment and preserves cash for growth capex. The move aligns with its pending $4.25 billion acquisition of Crown Castle Fibers assets and follows years of heavy investment in fiber infrastructure.

AI
Data Center, Fiber, Investment, Zayo

Perplexity’s $34.5B Chrome Bid

Tech News & Insight
August 13, 2025
Hema K

An unsolicited offer from Perplexity to acquire Googles Chrome raises immediate questions about antitrust remedies, AI distribution, and who controls the internets primary access point. Perplexity has proposed a $34.5 billion cash acquisition of Chrome and says backers are lined up to fund the deal despite the startups significantly smaller balance sheet and an estimated $18 billion valuation in recent fundraising. The bid includes commitments to keep Chromium open source, invest an additional $3 billion in the codebase, and preserve current user defaults including leaving Google as the default search engine. The timing aligns with a U.S. Department of Justice push for structural remedies after a court found Google maintained an illegal search monopoly, with a Chrome divestiture floated as a central remedy.

AI, Edge/MEC, Monetization, Security
Comet, Google, GPU, Partnerships, Perplexity, Policy, Startups

AI Traffic Growth: Ciena Report on Optical Network Readiness

Tech News & Insight
August 13, 2025
Hema K

A new Ciena and Heavy Reading study signals that AI will become a primary source of metro and long-haul traffic within three years while most optical networks remain only partially prepared. AI training and inference are shifting from contained data center domains to distributed, edge-to-core workflows that stress transport capacity, latency, and automation end-to-end. Expectations are even higher for long-haul: 52% see AI surpassing 30% of traffic and 29% expect AI to account for more than half. Yet only 16% of respondents rate their optical networks as very ready for AI workloads, underscoring an execution gap that will shape capex priorities, service roadmaps, and partnership models through 2027.

AI, Assurance, Automation, Sustainability
AWS, Ciena, Cisco, Data Center, Fiber, GenAI, Investment, Microsoft, Nokia, Optical Network, Spectrum

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SK Telecom Expands Metaverse in Asia with New Partnerships

SK Telecom Advances Metaverse Presence with Strategic Southeast Asian Partnerships

Expanding Digital Horizons with Localized Metaverse Platforms

AI Integration in SK Telecom’s Metaverse

SK Telecom’s Strategy for Global Metaverse Presence

Conclusion

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