SK Telecom Fights OTT Services and Signaling Load

SK Telecom continues its fight against OTT. After trying to protect their voice and messaging revenues by blocking access to competitive internet based services (see "Complaint against SK Telecom & KT for Blocking VoIP over 3G (Using DPI)" - here), the MNO is now launching its own services.

Mobile World l!ve reprots from GSMA MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2012 that "South Korea’s largest mobile operator SK Telecom (SKT) is fighting back against a number of Over-The-Top (OTT) players that have become hugely popular in the country in recent years, promising the imminent launch of an RCS-based service and further deployment of its Smart Push technology"

Dr. Choi Jin-Sung (pictured), SVP and Head of SKT’s Technology Strategy Office, told Mobile Asia Daily: “Korean mobile carriers are experiencing difficulties, including decreased SMS revenues and increased network investment cost to accommodate surging traffic, caused by the popularity of various free messaging services .. KaKao Talk, a mobile messaging service used by 37 million Koreans (46 million subscribers globally as of May 2012), is fast becoming a threat to mobile operators as it has recently launched a mVOIP service. And these OTT service providers are expected to evolve into a UC (Unified Communication) platform after securing subscribers based on their messaging services”

About the notorious signaling/keep-alive problem:

"At the same time, the company is applying Smart Push, its home-grown technology that enables integrated management of keep-alive signals, to prevent network overload .. Here, the opening up of the Smart Push technology is an exemplary case where all stakeholders including mobile carriers, OTT service providers and customers gain benefits .. SK Telecom has also entered into MOUs with Samsung Electronics and NSN to promote overseas exports of Smart Push-embedded network equipment”

See "SK Telecom fights OTT rivals" - here.