SKT's world's first commercialization of CDMA, which served as a milestone in the 40 years of mobile communications in Korea, was listed on the IEEE Milestone, which is called the 'Nobel Prize in the global ICT field.' SKT has revealed its will to lead the communications and semiconductor fields by accelerating its journey as an AI company with a learning-from-the-old attitude.

SKT announced on the 10th that the large-scale commercialization of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) in 1996, together with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics, was listed on the 'IEEE Milestone' selected by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In the afternoon of that day, the 'IEEE Milestone' award ceremony was held at the SKT headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul.

At the award ceremony that day, SKT CEO Yoo Young-sang said, “This year is a meaningful year as it marks the 40th anniversary of mobile communications in South Korea and the 40th anniversary of the founding of SKT. The commercialization of CDMA is a dazzling achievement made together by SKT, ETRI, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics.” He added, “We will pioneer the AI era with the attitude of learning from the past and reminiscing about the creativity, challenge, and cooperation that the government and companies achieved through one mind in the commercialization of CDMA.”

■ CDMA, a catalyst for growth in communications and semiconductors




Celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, IEEE is the world's largest academic society in the field of electrical and electronic engineering, founded in 1884 by Thomas Edison and Graham Bell. Since 1983, it has been operating the 'IEEE Milestone' program, which awards historical achievements that have contributed to human society and industrial development. 'IEEE Milestone' is called the 'Nobel Prize of the Global ICT Field.'

SKT is the first domestic company to be selected. In 1996, SKT, ETRI, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics successfully commercialized the CDMA digital mobile communication system, which could increase call capacity by more than 10 times that of analog methods, in response to the explosive increase in demand for mobile communications in the 1990s.

Unlike TDMA, which was a time-division method at the time, CDMA is a technology with a capacity hundreds of times greater. SKT said, “In the mid- to long-term, South Korea will see a rapid increase in not only voice but also multimedia transmission, and thus we have taken on the challenge of commercializing CDMA, which has groundbreaking growth potential.”

The government launched the Mobile Communications Technology Development Project Management Group under SKT, which was then known as 'Korea Mobile Telecommunications.' Afterwards, domestic terminal manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics actively cooperated to unify CDMA as the national standard and successfully commercialized it for the first time in the world.

SKT is accelerating its journey to become a global AI company by rekindling the passion it had when it mobilized all of its capabilities to become the world's first CDMA commercialization. SKT CEO Yoo Young-sang said, “We plan to seize opportunities in the rapidly growing AI field and further enhance SK’s status as a leader in the telecommunications and semiconductor industries.”

Meanwhile, achievements previously selected as IEEE Milestones include Benjamin Franklin's research on electricity in 1751, Volta's invention of the electric battery (1799), Marconi's wireless telegraph experiment (1895), the first wireless radio broadcast (1906), the first public demonstration of television (1926), the first semiconductor integrated circuit (1958), computer graphics technology (1965–1978), the first Internet transmission (1969), and the development of QR code technology (1994).

■ SKT Tower IEEE Milestone Certification Plaque Installed…Participation in Partner Award Ceremony




The commemorative plaque unveiling ceremony for the 'IEEE Milestone' selected companies held in the afternoon of the 10th was attended by IEEE President-elect Kathleen Kramer, Digital Platform Government Committee Chairman Koh Jin, Ministry of Science and ICT Information and Communication Policy Director Song Sang-hoon, SKT CEO Yoo Young-sang, ETRI Stereoscopic Communication Research Center Director Baek Yong-soon, Samsung Electronics MX Business Division Development Director Choi Won-joon, and LG Electronics C&M Standards Research Institute Director Je Young-ho.

The plaque installed on the exterior wall of SKT Tower describes the missions and industrial contributions of SKT, ETRI, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics, the key players in the commercialization of CDMA in South Korea. Additionally, a ceremony was held at the event to present a plaque of appreciation to the bereaved family of the late Minister Seo Jeong-wook, who served as Minister of Science and Technology and Vice Chairman of SKT and actively promoted the listing of the 'IEEE Milestone'.

“The public-private collaboration and foresight in South Korea to commercialize CDMA has been recognized as a milestone that has provided the world with essential technologies in the ICT sector,” said IEEE President-elect Kathleen Cramer. “IEEE congratulates the recipients for their unique and world-changing technology and achievements in commercializing CDMA, which have inspired generations of innovators.”

In his congratulatory address, Song Sang-hoon, director of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Information and Communication Policy Bureau, said, “Building on our success in developing mobile communications technology, our country is demonstrating the appearance of a communications powerhouse in the 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile communications markets, and we are preparing for 6G.” He added, “The government is supporting national research and development projects that comprehensively support everything from original technologies to commercialization technologies and global standards, and we will continue to provide generous support in the future to build our reputation as a mobile communications powerhouse.”

Baek Yong-soon, head of ETRI’s Stereoscopic Communication Research Lab, said, “CDMA technology has played a key role in leading the Korean telecommunications industry to a global leader, and our country has actively participated in international standardization since 3G and has achieved many results.” He added, “We will do our best to become the world’s best in next-generation 6G communications, including by reflecting Korea’s 6G vision-leading strategy in the IMT2030 framework for 6G last year.”

Next, Wonjun Choi, head of development at Samsung Electronics' MX division, said, "The result of combining experts in each field and Samsung Electronics' terminal manufacturing technology has achieved the commercialization of CDMA mobile communications services. Samsung Electronics said, “We will not rest on our laurels, but will devote ourselves more to the development of next-generation mobile communications technology through continuous research and development and investment.”