Below the ATHENA structure, SK Telecom plans to regularly apply AI- and cloud-based automation throughout all community layers
In sum – what to know:
6G roadmap – SK Telecom’s ATHENA paper outlines its post-2030 community evolution technique, persevering with a 6G collection launched in 2023.
AI integration – The operator distinguishes between “AI for community” optimization and “community for AI” infrastructure help for rising AI providers.
3GPP ecosystem – SK Telecom is contributing to 3GPP, ITU, and O-RAN work and plans to exhibit AI-RAN and associated applied sciences at MWC 2026.
Korean provider SK Telecom has launched its third 6G white paper, titled ATHENA, setting out its mid- to long-term imaginative and prescient for community evolution past 2030. The doc continues a collection launched in 2023 and focuses on how communication infrastructure could evolve within the AI period.
The paper outlines a framework constructed round AI-native structure, zero belief safety, hyper-connectivity, openness, and cloud-native operations.
The Asian provider describes two parallel instructions for AI integration: “AI for community,” geared toward enabling real-time analytics and autonomous optimization, and “community for AI,” targeted on adapting infrastructure to help AI-driven providers effectively. The white paper additionally highlights expanded virtualization, open interfaces, and general-purpose {hardware} to extend flexibility throughout radio, core, and transport domains.
Below the ATHENA structure, SK Telecom plans to regularly apply AI- and cloud-based automation throughout all community layers, whereas growing a community information platform to help AI-based providers.
The Korean operator mentioned it’s actively contributing to international requirements by way of our bodies reminiscent of 3GPP, ITU, and the O-RAN Alliance, and was lately elected to the board of the AI-RAN Alliance.
Yu Takki, head of community know-how workplace at SK Telecom, mentioned: “Regardless of uncertainties within the 6G period, we are going to proceed to create new progress alternatives by main the evolution of future communication infrastructure over the following decade, prioritizing buyer worth and mixing AI, virtualization, openness, and 0 belief safety,”
On the upcoming MWC Barcelona 2026, the telco mentioned it is going to showcase key associated applied sciences, together with numerous AI brokers for networks, AI-RAN know-how, on-device AI-based antenna optimization, and built-in communication and sensing know-how.
SK Telecom is more and more leaning on AI infrastructure as its subsequent progress driver. In a latest name with traders, SK Telecom’s CFO Jong-seok Park, mentioned that the corporate stays targeted on establishing a robust basis for its AI enterprise. He pointed to a two-digit progress pattern in its AI information middle enterprise income, citing a rise in utilization charges of Gasan and Yangju information facilities and the acquisition of Pangyo information middle. “This 12 months, we intention to speed up progress by actively growing enterprise enlargement alternatives by way of enterprise scale-up with an extra information middle within the Seoul metropolitan area,” he continued.
