LG Uplus teams up with Malaysian mobile carrier to provide 5G extended reality K-pop content

[Courtesy of LG Uplus]

SEOUL -- LG Uplus, a mobile carrier in South Korea, partnered with Celcom Axiata Bhd, a Malaysian mobile carrier, to deliver K-pop content using 5G-based extended reality services. Through the $1 million contract, LG Uplus will export various content to Malaysia where K-pop is highly popular among millennials and Gen Z.

Extended reality (XR) refers to all digital environments created using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). XR content is normally provided through head-mounted display devices. However, some content can be enjoyed through smartphones and tablet PCs. In August 2021, LG Uplus (LGU+) helped AOMG, a South Korean hip-hop label, hold a special non-face-to-face XR concert to invite fans to movie-like virtual worlds to enjoy artists' performances.

Through the content distribution deal, Malaysian fans will be able to access realistic XR content, LGU+ said in a statement on October 20. Fans will be able to participate in virtual meetings with K-pop celebrities and take part in various activities to dance and take photographs with stars. "We will continue to maintain a close partnership with Celcom to achieve meaningful evolution in sectors such as 5G-based XR content, technology, and solution," LGU+'s XR business division head director Choi Yoon-ho was quoted as saying.

Celcom has planned to commercialize 5G services by the end of 2021. Through the super-fast mobile internet connection, Malaysian K-pop fans will gain access to various Hallyu (Korean cultural wave) content. The global usage of K-pop-related keywords on Twitter increased 1,100 times in 10 years from 5.09 million in 2010 to more than 6 billion in 2020. Indonesia ranked first in terms of the usage of K-pop keywords and Malaysia was ninth.

Because the data transfer speed of 5G mobile communication is about 100 times faster than 4G mobile communication, the latest mobile internet technology is ideal for XR content services as well as other services that require fast data delivery. LGU+ operates various 5G-based VR and AR services including home fitness training, virtual home shopping and virtual library services for domestic customers. The mobile carrier's XR services gained a lot of attention from customers grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

LG Uplus teams up with Malaysian mobile carrier to provide 5G extended reality K-pop content

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