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SK Telecom

SK Telecom is a telecommunications service company founded in 1984. SK Group has a controlling interest in the company, which is the largest mobile services provider in the Republic of Korea with 24 million subscribers in 2019. In the same year, it also reported the world’s first commercialisation of 5G services. The company also provides high-speed wired internet access and television services through subsidiary SK Broadband, with 5.6 million and 5.2 million subscribers, respectively, in 2019.

Summary

SK Telecom performs best in the innovation measurement area due to its support for the startup ecosystem and sharing of big data relating to natural disasters and health. In the area of access, the company provides discounts for vulnerable groups and has a number of other initiatives supporting people with disabilities. It also discloses it economic value distribution. In the area of use, SK Telecom is one of the few companies that discloses the names of third parties it shares user information with. Additionally, it incorporates child online safety in its human rights assessment framework. In relation to skills, the company has a programme to educate the elderly in using smartphones. SK Telecom publishes an annual integrated report in accordance with international standards. The company could provide more details of its initiatives in areas covered by the benchmark.

Ranking position: #46/100
Total score: 0.79/2

Measurement area	Score (0-2)	Rank (0-100)
Access	0.80 / 2	#35
Skills	0.38 / 2	#52
Use	0.63 / 2	#58
Innovation	1.34 / 2	#30

Access: SK Telecom discounts its services for people with disabilities, low-income households and retirees, contributing to affordable and universal access to digital technologies. It has initiatives to teach digital skills to people with disabilities, further promoting accessibility. The company also reports on the number of employees with disabilities and how the economic value it generates is distributed among stakeholders.
Skills: The company contributes to digital skills development through a programme that trains senior citizens to use a smartphone. The initiative has been running for 13 years, benefiting more than 17,000 people.
Use: SK Telecom discloses the third parties it shares user information with, which is industry best practice. The company also reports the number of data breaches, in line with internationally recognised standards. It considers child online protection a human rights issue.
Innovation: The company contributes to open and ethical innovation through several initiatives. It collaborates on global projects advancing 5G technology; pursues joint research on artificial intelligence (AI) with universities; invests in early-stage companies in the areas of mobile platforms, semiconductors and networking; and operates accelerators across the Republic of Korea. The company also has multiple projects with the public sector, using big data to streamline public transport and provide prompt responses to natural disasters and health emergencies.

Access: SK Telecom has an opportunity to support initiatives that create digital opportunities for women and girls. The company could report the number of people who receive discounted access to its services and what effect this has on them. It could also demonstrate its approach to making its products more accessible to people with disabilities.
Skills: The company has an opportunity to report initiatives that advance intermediate and technical digital skills and improve school connectivity.
Use: SK Telecom could better demonstrate how it manages cybersecurity, by explaining the line of responsibility and how it monitors and responds to security incidents. Although the company is committed to child online safety, it should report on measures such as its partnerships in related initiatives and its product features that protect children.
Innovation: The company could better demonstrate how its practices contribute to inclusive and ethical research and development (R&D). For example, it could report on the number of women it employs in R&D and how it applies ethical considerations in R&D.

More about the company

Headquarters: Seoul, Republic of Korea
Ownership structure: Publicly listed, with SK Holdings 26.8%, National Pension Service 11.1%
Fiscal year: Ends 31 December
Group revenue: US$15,224 million (FY2019)
Group employees: 5,336 (FY2019)
Website: https://www.sktelecom.com

SK Telecom

Leading practices

Access

Skills

Use

Innovation

Risks and opportunities

Access

Skills

Use

Innovation

More about the company