KT, Swift Navigation team up for ultra-precision location service

KT Corp., a major South Korean telecommunications company, has partnered with Swift Navigation Co., a San Francisco-based technology firm, to commercialize an ultra-precision location data service.

The two companies on Wednesday signed a precise positioning business partnership agreement, under which they plan to develop precise positioning technology for future mobility applications such as autonomous vehicles, drones and urban air mobility.

KT said Swift Navigation’s precise positioning platform improves location accuracy from several meters to a centimeter level, enabling safer driving, improved efficiency for last-mile delivery and commercial transport operations, and enhanced accuracy for mobile devices.

The US company’s global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is more precise than the usual global positioning system (GPS), according to KT.

To limit the error range of GPS signals, KT said it plans to link Swift’s positioning solutions with its network of reference stations across the country.

Precise positioning information can also be used in logistics services and the construction of a next-generation cooperative intelligent transport system that provides real-time information such as traffic conditions, it said.

KT said earlier this month that it will invest nearly $10 billion in its digital platform sector by 2026 as it aims to focus on the industry for future growth.

Write to Han-Gyeol Seon at always@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.