Swift Navigation and SK Telecom Partner to Accelerate the Deployment of AI-Powered Location-Based Products

The partnership expands the availability of Swift’s precise positioning solutions in Korea and empowers SK Telecom to sell those solutions as part of its AI / IoT portfolio.

San Francisco, California–May 15, 2024–Swift Navigation (“Swift”), a market leader in precise positioning technologies for automotive, IoT, and mobile applications today announced its partnership with SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, “SKT”) to accelerate the deployment of AI-powered, location-based products in Korea.

Through the partnership, SK Telecom and Swift designed, deployed, and are jointly operating a carrier-grade network to deliver Swift’s Skylark® Precise Positioning Service across Korea. Skylark is a cloud-based service that improves the positioning accuracy of standard GNSS by up to 100x – from several meters down to just a few centimeters. It’s a critical component in more than 8 million connected and autonomous vehicles and devices, including ADAS-enabled and autonomous cars, unmanned aerial aircraft, vehicle tracking solutions, and robotic equipment.

As part of the partnership, SK Telecom is introducing Skylark to its broad base of customers in Korea, including the Korea Forest Service, which conducts high precision surveying for forest management and road design in challenging mountainous areas of the country.

ISO-certified to meet the most stringent functional safety and cybersecurity standards for road vehicles, Skylark is a key enabler of autonomous driving and ADAS. For its 24-day, 8,000 km drive showcase across Korea, SK Telecom deployed Skylark in in-vehicle receivers and smartphones, maintaining lane-level positioning for more than 99% of the drive using the former and 92.61% in the latter on open roads, and, the in-vehicle devices maintained lane-level positioning integrity 99.99999% of the time. By comparison, standard GNSS maintained lane-level positioning for 60% and 34% of the drive, respectively.

Watch SK Telecom's video about Skylark Precise Positioning Service:

“SK Telecom shares our vision to build a safer and more productive future by changing the way we navigate the planet,” said Holger Ippach, Executive Vice President of Product & Marketing at Swift Navigation. “Together our two companies offer a robust set of positioning solutions backed by real-world experience deploying mission-critical technology for some of the largest companies in the world. We are thrilled to have them as a partner.”

“SK Telecom is ready to provide precise GNSS positioning services for various mobility platforms including UAM, autonomous vehicles and smartphones by collaborating with Swift,” said Takki Yu, VP and Head of Infra Tech Office at SK Telecom. “We will continue our research to improve the services with AI technology and offer this innovative and high-integrity service to our customers in Korea.”

Already available across North America, Europe, and other parts of Asia, Skylark underpins production deployments for more than 20 automotive OEMs and suppliers and thousands of other companies manufacturing robots and building innovative location-based products to improve safety and efficiency across industries. Skylark is backed by integrations with popular components from more than 20 chipset, module, and receiver makers and is highly configurable to meet a broad range of requirements for accuracy, coverage, data transmission, and power consumption — all of which can vary greatly across industries. 

ABOUT SWIFT NAVIGATION

Swift Navigation is changing the way we understand and navigate the planet. Swift’s precise positioning solutions enable centimeter-level mapping, tracking, and navigation to unlock vehicle autonomy, industrial automation, and digital innovation across industries globally. Some of the largest companies in the world are leveraging Swift’s technology to enable safer driving, deliver autonomous vehicles and equipment, optimize logistics, and unleash next-generation mobile applications for navigation, worker safety, and augmented reality, among others. Learn more about how Swift is building a safer and more connected future at swiftnav.com

ABOUT SK TELECOM

SK Telecom has been leading the growth of the mobile industry since 1984. Now, it is taking customer experience to new heights by extending beyond connectivity. By placing AI at the core of its business, SK Telecom is rapidly transforming into an AI company with a strong global presence. It is focusing on driving innovations in areas of AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation (AIX) and AI Service to deliver greater value for industry, society, and life. For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or visit our LinkedIn page www.linkedin.com/company/sk-telecom.