What does a 5G smart office look like?
South Korean wireless operator SK Telecom envisions an environment where “only a smartphone is needed to fulfill all office tasks.”
According to the plan, desktop PCs and laptops will be replaced with mobile virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), which enables employees “to do their work on a shared monitor without any PC or laptop by connecting their smartphones to the docking pad.”
Landline business phones will disappear, according to SK Telecom. But its mobile business phone service “will provide two separate phone numbers for business and personal use, allowing employees to access all existing features of a business phone from their smartphones.”
On June 5, 2019, SK Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Samsung Electronics and Cisco to realize the vision.
Under the MOU, the three companies will work together to plan and develop a comprehensive smart office package that will be launched in the second half of 2019.
The comprehensive smart office package will include a mobile business phone, collaboration solutions, mobile-centric work environment, and 5G network.
“Along with the smart factory, the smart office is considered a key 5G-based service for businesses, which will significantly improve work efficiency and productivity,” SK Telecom said in a news release.
In February 2019, SK Telecom has already unveiled its 5G smart office at Centropolis Building located in downtown Seoul. It featured a ‘5G walking-through’ system, which allows entry without ID cards/passes via AI-based facial recognition and a mobile VDI docking system that replaces desktops to realize an optimal work environment.
“The idea of a digital workspace that Cisco is in pursuit of has now embarked upon a fast track with the opening of the 5G era,” said Choi Ji-hee, Vice-President of Cisco Korea. “Cisco will work together with SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics to provide users with the best smart office experience.”
