SK Telecom Co. will be supplying the networks for Internet of Things (IoT) in Thailand in what would become the South Korean telecommunications giant’s first export of IoT network technology to a foreign country.

SK Telecom said on Sunday it signed an agreement with Thailand’s state-owned CAT Telecom to deploy Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) based on its proprietary LoRa technology - LoRa WAN - in central areas of Bangkok and the entire Phuket Province. The two companies will work together to roll out pilot services of the network in service in Korea since June last year in the Southeast Asian country starting April.

SK Telecom and CAT Telecom will first launch LoRa-based vehicle location tracking services, followed by additional IoT services including smart metering and smart street lighting services. The Thai government has been working on transforming Phuket into an innovation-driven smart city under its digital economy policy.

The launch of the LoRaWAN service in central areas of Bangkok including the Grand Palace and Phuket is also expected to enable an IoT-based location tracking service for tourists.

LPWAN is a type of telecommunications network designed to support the so-called Internet of Small Things (IoST) - which refers to the connectivity of small objects that measure and process low-volume data such as temperature, humidity, weight, and location.

A few Korean startups, including communications solution provider Nable Communications and real-time locating system provider Spacosa, will also work together with SK Telecom to set up the IoT network in Thailand.

Separately, SK Telecom said Tree Pay, a joint venture established by SK Telecom, CAT Telecom and a Korea-based payment gateway provider NHN KCP, has launched its first payment gateway service in Thailand. SK Telecom and NHN KCP hope to build an innovative payment gateway platform in the country by utilizing their advanced online, offline and mobile payment technologies.

By Lim Sung-hyun

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