Kwon Young-soo, vice chairman and CEO of South Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus, conducted an organizational reshuffle in order to enhance the company’s competitiveness in the fields of the fifth-generation wireless network and artificial intelligence, the telecom firm said Sunday.

LG Uplus, the third largest telecom firm in Korea by revenue, newly created a 5G team and reallocated its existing AI Business under the CEO office as part of an organizational shake-up for next year.

In a letter sent to executives and employees Friday, Kwon emphasized the timing of the company’s new initiatives for future growth. 

“It’s about time to contend for victory,” the vice chairman said. “Competition for 5G and AI will be unfolding next year, and we are making these organizational changes to make thorough preparations.”

The AI Business under Kwon will serve as a control tower for the company’s home media and Internet of Things businesses, considering artificial intelligence is closely related to such sectors.

The new 5G team will set the company’s corporate strategies to purchase frequency bands for the upcoming network, conduct investments and select equipment vendors.

On Thursday, LG Uplus named Senior Vice President Hyun Joon-yong as head of AI Business, and Executive Vice President Choi Joo-sik as the 5G team head.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)