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SK Telecom mentioned the advance was pushed by a restoration in its wi-fi enterprise alongside accelerating development in AI infrastructure companies, significantly AI information facilities and GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS)
In sum – what to know:
5G restoration – SK Telecom added 210,000 handset subscribers in Q1 as wi-fi income rebounded and buyer retention initiatives improved efficiency.
AI infrastructure – AIDC income surged 89.3% yr over yr, pushed by greater GPUaaS demand and elevated utilization at key information heart amenities.
Enterprise enlargement – SK Telecom is scaling its AI B2B technique via new organizational adjustments, sovereign AI fashions and broader enterprise-focused AI companies.
Korean service SK Telecom reported stronger first-quarter outcomes for 2026 as subscriber development in its 5G cellular enterprise and speedy enlargement of its AI information heart operations helped help income and profitability restoration.
The South Korean operator mentioned its working earnings rose to KRW 537.6 billion within the quarter ($370.4 million), down 5.3% year-on-year, marking the primary time quarterly working revenue exceeded KRW 500 billion for the reason that first quarter of final yr. Consolidated income reached KRW 4.392 trillion in Q1, up 1.4% year-on-year, whereas web income amounted to KRW 316.4 billion, down 12.5% year-on-year.
SK Telecom mentioned the advance was pushed by a restoration in its wi-fi enterprise alongside accelerating development in AI infrastructure companies, significantly AI information facilities (AIDC) and GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS).
The service added roughly 210,000 handset subscribers throughout the quarter because it pushed buyer retention and belief restoration initiatives, whereas cellular service income elevated 1.7% quarter over quarter. The corporate additionally revamped its membership program and continued restructuring cellular plans to enhance buyer selection and engagement.
The Asian telco ended the quarter of the yr with a complete of 17.8 million subscribers within the 5G section, up 3.2% from 17.24 million in the identical interval the earlier yr.
On the identical time, SK Telecom is increasing its AI technique past telecom connectivity. Income from its AIDC enterprise climbed 89.3% yr over yr to KRW 131.4 billion, supported by greater utilization charges at amenities together with its Gasan information heart in Seoul and growing GPUaaS demand.
The corporate mentioned it plans to strengthen competitiveness throughout the total AI infrastructure worth chain as demand from world know-how companies for AI infrastructure continues to rise.
SK Telecom can also be broadening its push into enterprise AI companies. The operator mentioned it lately created a brand new built-in group reporting on to the CEO to steer its AI B2B enterprise technique.
“As the one home supplier with full-stack capabilities spanning AI infrastructure, fashions, and companies, and drawing on its gathered expertise within the enterprise enterprise, SK Telecom plans to make a full-scale entry into the AI B2B market going ahead,” the corporate mentioned.
Within the client section, SK Telecom plans to additional combine AI companies with telecom choices via its AI assistant platform “A.” (A-dot), which the corporate mentioned will leverage a sovereign AI basis mannequin designed to compete with main world fashions.
“SK Telecom is a two-sided story. The core telecom enterprise is recovering after final yr’s cybersecurity points, with web provides validating advertising efforts and exhibiting the operator’s capability to rebuild belief. In parallel, the AI infrastructure enterprise continues to scale and is now a significant contributor. This makes SK Telecom one of the crucial attention-grabbing operators to look at globally,” Rémy Pascal, follow chief of cellular infrastructure at world analyst agency Omdia, instructed RCR Wi-fi Information.