SK Telecom (KRX:017670) and KT (KRX:030200) were selected by South Korea's National Information Society Agency as lead operators for two consortia under the 17.2 billion won "Hyper-AI Network Infrastructure" project, according to a statement on Tuesday.

The project aims to deploy 5G-SA and AI-RAN-powered leading networks at industrial sites such as shipyards and factories to verify ultra-low-latency, high-reliability communication essential for Physical AI services.

Demonstrations will test AI-based welding, painting, and patrol robots in high-risk environments, validating real-time perception, decision-making, and multi-robot collaboration capabilities that on-device AI alone cannot achieve.

The networks will be x=compared against existing infrastructure on metrics including upload speed, latency, jitter, and autonomous operation to ensure optimization for Physical AI applications.

Beyond 2027, the project plans to expand to humanoid robots, while an industry-academia-research council will be formed to commercialize the technology and public demos are planned for the 6G Festa in December 2026.