SK Telecom (SKT) along with Joby Aviation (Joby) announced unveiling an all-electric, five-seat aircraft that can take off and land vertically (eVTOL) and formed an alliance for introducing emission-free aerial ridesharing services to all cities and communities across South Korea.
SK Telecom (SKT) is South Korea’s leading telecommunications firm and Joby Aviation (Joby) is a California-based firm.
The strategic collaboration agreement was signed between SKT’s CEO Ryu Young-Sang and Joby’s Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt at Joby’s manufacturing facility in Marina, California. This agreement will make the two firms work closely on introducing this revolutionary form of transportation in support of the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s “K-UAM” (Korean Urban Air Mobility) Roadmap, first announced in 2020.
Joby’s piloted aircraft will attain a maximum range of 150 miles (241 Kilometers), as well as a top speed of 200 mph (321 Km/Hr), and a low noise profile that will permit it for accessing built-up areas and is designed for making convenient, emission-free travel an everyday reality.
Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT, stated: “By joining forces with Joby, a global leader in this field, we expect to accelerate our journey towards the era of Urban Air Mobility and lead the way on introducing this exciting new technology. Collaborating with leading global companies is essential to securing leadership in future industries, which we are confident will be driven by the growth of UAM, autonomous driving, and robots.”
JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, commented on the partnership and prospect presented by the South Korean Market stating: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the team at SKT who brings a wealth of relevant experience and technology to the table.
With more than 42 million people living in urban areas, South Korea offers a remarkable opportunity for Joby to make air travel a part of daily life, helping people to save time while reducing their carbon footprint.”
According to SKT reports, the firm has been promoting the development of urban air mobility by leveraging its expertise in telecommunications, autonomous driving, precise positioning, and security to become a leading company in connected intelligence. As a member of the “UAM Team Korea”, SKT is also working together with other major Korean companies to enhance the nation’s competitiveness in the field.
According to SKT’s interim announcement, the partners intend to leverage SKT’s Map mobility platform, also Korea’s largest mobility platform, and UT ride-hailing service to provide multi-modal journeys to customers seamlessly integrating both ground and air travel.
UT was established as a joint venture between SKT and Uber in 2021, bringing together SK’s T Map platform and Uber’s ride-sharing technology. Joby and Uber have been collaborating since 2019. Joby Aviation also announced that the firm’s aerial ridesharing service will be operated directly by the company and offered to passengers via the Joby app or the Uber app in core U.S. markets, this announcement reflects Joby’s strategy to partner with local companies committed to delivering exceptional customer service and operational excellence to launch its service in select markets outside the U.S.
