SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Wednesday it will develop smart ports using 5G network services by partnering with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Busan Port Terminal Corp.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed between the three parties, they will develop a test bed for a smart port that uses 5G-powered services.

A smart port refers to ports that use Internet of Things (IoT) devices to track and analyze the movement of cargo and workers to improve logistics efficiency and worker safety.

The telecom operator said it will work with its partners to install 5G infrastructure by providing its 5G communication modules to connect to the test bed's IoT devices and help develop a port logistics industry based on the high-speed network.

SK Telecom said the test bed's services will utilize its IoT location sensing technology and intelligent closed circuit TVs that can analyze footage of movements.

The mobile carrier has recently stepped up efforts to develop business applications for its 5G technology, aiming to commercialize its 5G network on the faster 28-gigahertz (GHz) band for business services by the end of this year. (Yonhap)