SK Telecom to commercialize UAM with American partner

South Korea's SK Telecom Co. will launch domestic commercial operations in urban air mobility (UAM) with Joby Aviation, a Santa Cruz, California-based manufacturer of UAM aircraft.

SK Telecom on Sunday announced its agreement with Joby on participation in the domestic UAM verification project K-UAM Grand Challenge and domestic commercialization of the industry. UAM features mobility services of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft powered by electricity flying at altitudes of 300-600 meters.

Both companies will employ their entire capacities in the project including technologies, infrastructure and human resources to ensure safe operations optimized for the domestic environment. The first stage next year will see testing of Joby aircraft in each flight scenario using prepared airframes at the National Aviation Test Center in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province. 

Communications quality will be tested at 300-600 meters above ground using SK Telecom’s LTE and 5G-based UAM specialized airspace network. Joby also plans to send technical personnel to South Korea.

"For domestic commercial application of UAM, we must secure aircraft certified by global organizations such as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency," an SK Telecom source said. "This agreement holds great significance because it specifies a plan to secure stable aircraft when domestic commercial service debuts in 2025."

Joby has completed over 70% of a three-stage plan in the FAA aircraft certification process and unveiled a mass-produced aircraft in June. That month, SK Telecom made a strategic investment of $100 million (133 billion won) in Joby and holds the exclusive rights to use the latter's aircraft in South Korea.

SK Telecom will also use UAM to achieve artificial intelligence (AI) transformation in the mobility field. The company said the early commercial stage will have a human pilot control a craft but urged integration of the UAM ecosystem based on AI to enable personalized services linked to ground transportation and unmanned autonomous flights.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com