SK Telecom today shared more details about its plans for mobile edge computing, enterprise services, and concentrated clusters of 5G coverage spread across South Korea. It has created 70 of these 5G clusters in densely populated areas and commercial districts nearly a year after it became the world’s first mobile operator to deploy a standards-based mobile 5G network.

To date more than 1 million customers have visited those concentrated areas of 5G coverage to experience specialized services for augmented reality and virtual reality (VR), according to the operator. Customers aged 30 to 49 comprise more than half (53%) of the company’s total 5G subscriber base, and that group represents a significantly higher proportion of 5G users compared to 4G LTE.

The operator’s 5G subscribers are also consuming an average of 62,000 terabytes of data per month collectively, and the average monthly data usage of subscribers who switch from 4G LTE to 5G has doubled, according to SK Telecom. The operator also announced that 5G subscribers are using seven times more VR services, 3.6 times more video streaming services, and 2.7 times more game services than LTE customers. 

The growth and advancements of those services will ride heavily on SK Telecom’s efforts in cloud and mobile edge computing. The company inked a wide-ranging agreement with Microsoft in May 2019 to collaborate on 5G, artificial intelligence, and cloud services to expand the capabilities of IoT. 

The operator is also working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy 5G mobile edge computing capabilities, including low-latency services for specialized use cases. SK Telecom is among a group of operator partners that the cloud giant announced in December for its Wavelength offering, which embeds AWS compute and storage at the edge of mobile networks. SK Telecom previously said it plans to deploy Wavelength service this year.

The operator plans to build 5G mobile edge computing centers in 12 locations across South Korea to fuel its push into the enterprise market. Preparations are underway to launch a nationwide 5G edge cloud service with support from AWS and Microsoft, it said.

The operator said it is working with a semiconductor manufacturer, a water and nuclear power utility, and government agencies to apply 5G, and the new capabilities it can enable, in those environments. 

SK Telecom plans to expand 5G coverage to 85 cities nationwide and bring its total number of 5G clusters to 240 locations before the end of 2020. It also plans to provide indoor 5G coverage in at least 2,000 buildings this year.

The operator’s early push into 5G enabled it to secure new business opportunities and it is eyeing 5G as a catalyst for growth opportunities in enterprise through the next decade, Ryu Young-sang, VP at SK Telecom, said in a statement. 

Earlier this year, SK Telecom also launched a new task force targeted at sharing what it has learned in 5G and mobile edge computing across the Asia-Pacific region, and it successfully initiated a standalone 5G data session using equipment from multiple vendors on a commercial network.