SK Telecom (SKT) partnered with Deutsche Telekom to bring the South Korean operator’s Ifland metaverse platform to Europe, while a wider joint venture around expanding the service is also on the cards.

SKT stated it would work with Deutsche Telekom to introduce Ifland to Germany by the end of the year, before expanding to other European countries. Both companies will jointly market and promote Ifland.

The South Korean operator’s Ifland service builds on its long-standing metaverse ambitions, allowing users to make digital interactions in a virtual environment, and was introduced by the company in July 2021.

In addition to bringing Ifland to Europe, the companies are in talks about the establishment of joint venture to oversee operations of Ifland in the region, likely to be led by Deutsche Telekom with other operators to be involved.

SKT stated it had been discussing launching Ifland in Europe since March “and Deutsche Telekom had concluded that SKT’s service has the potential to bring out positive reactions from the European market”.

Deutsche Telekom and SKT have a long history of collaboration, establishing joint ventures on developing 5G-related technologies in 2020 and a 5G co-investment agreement in 2018.

More recently, Deutsche Telekom’s capital venture unit invested in SKT’s One Store app marketplace.

“We have been working closely with SK Telecom to lead the future in innovative technology through our partnership,” added Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges.