Samsung and SK Hynix Shares Jump After Micron Earnings Boost AI Chip Optimism 
Tencent Reviews Marvelous Stake as Gaming Giant Reassesses Global Investment Strategy 
Meta Pauses Employee Activity Tracking Program Over Data Security Concerns 
SpaceX Stock Rebounds After Sharp Selloff, But Valuation Concerns Persist 
Australian Household Spending Rebounds Strongly in May as Travel and Dining Drive Consumer Growth 
SK Hynix Targets $29.4 Billion Nasdaq Listing to Expand AI Chip Business 
Alibaba Shares Fall After Anthropic Alleges Massive AI Model Distillation Campaign 
Trip.com Shares Tumble After Q1 Profit Drops and Weak Revenue Growth Outlook 
Yen Near 40-Year Low as USD/JPY Approaches Key 162 Level, Raising Intervention Concerns 
Asian Stocks Slip as Oil Rebounds Amid Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Japan Manufacturing Growth Accelerates in June as Orders Surge Despite Iran War Cost Pressures 
Samsung Electronics Stock Surges on Report of Massive $59 Billion Share Buyback Plan 
US Dollar Climbs to One-Year High as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Surge 
Japan Signals Preference for Low Interest Rates as BOJ Policy Debate Intensifies 
Australia Jobs Growth Strengthens Rate Hike Outlook 
White House Seeks $87.6 Billion Emergency Funding for Iran War, Farmers, and Ebola Response 
Meta Reportedly Developing ‘Arena’ Prediction Market App to Rival Polymarket and Kalshi 
KT Corporation, the largest telecom company in South Korea, revealed that it is testing an autonomous cruise ship powered by the 5G technology. The test is about the large ship being controlled remotely, hundreds of kilometers away from the base.
The daring test of the unmanned ship
As per Yonhap News Agency, KT Corp. is controlling the cruise ship through a high-speed 5G network. In the testing, the vessel navigated through the cramped Pohang Canal that only measures 10-kilometer wide.
Since KT is doing the test to see if the ship could be successfully controlled remotely using 5G, the vessel had no captain on board when it was released to the water at the port city in Pohang. Rather, the telecom company controlled the ship from its office located in Gwacheon, which is miles away from where the ship was sailing.
For this autonomous 5G testing project, KT Corp. teamed up with Avikus Corp., an autonomous navigation firm that is operating under Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, the leading shipbuilding company in the country. The telecom company’s role in the trial is to remotely control the ship via its own 5G network while Avikus installed the ship’s autonomous system.
It was said that the test went smoothly, and the 5G network gave KT real-time information of the ship’s operations, including 360-degree video footage of the ship’s navigation. It was added that the vessel’s lidar and radar data were also sent to KT so it can be controlled more efficiently and safely. It was a fruitful test as the ship ran smoothly even if the control center is very far away.
Where the successful trial leads to
Total Telecom mentioned that KT invested about $41 million for a 10% stake in Hyundai Robotics, and this was how its partnership with the company was strengthened. As a result, the telecom firm was tapped to be part of the 5G-based autonomous ship trial.
The ship was able to travel around the 10-kilometer area without a captain, so the test was a victory for the companies involved. Now, with the success, it was said that Avikus will now go up higher and aim to scale up various solutions. The main target for the technology are the large commercial vessels crossing the ocean.
"We will commercialize a self-driving leisure boat for the first time in the world next year based on our fully autonomous sailing technology that showed successful results in this demonstration. We will become the first mover in the self-sailing ship market," the outlet quoted Lim Do Hyeong, Avikus’ CEO, as saying.
