SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) and Woowa Brothers today announced that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for technology and business collaboration to gain leadership in 5G edge cloud-based delivery robot services.

Established in 2010, Woowa Brothers is a food tech industry leader that operates Baedal Minjok, Korea's biggest food delivery app by market share. Recently, the company has been focusing on the development of food delivery services using smart, self-driving robots.

Under the MOU, the two companies will work together to commercialize 5G edge cloud-based robot delivery services by combining SK Telecom’s operational knowhow in 5G edge cloud platforms and mobile networks and Woowa Brothers’ strength in food delivery services.

SK Telecom and Woowa Brothers also plan to upgrade Woowa Brothers’ Dilly Drive, an LTE-based outdoor food delivery robot service launched in a residential-commercial complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, by providing the service through SK Telecom’s 5G edge cloud. Since June 2020, they have been working to improve the operational efficiency of the robot management system by testing ultra-low latency transmission of video taken by robots using 5G edge cloud applied to the trial site in Konkuk University, Seoul.

Delivery robots powered by 5G edge cloud will offer services with enhanced quality and stability thanks to ultra-low latency communication. It will be able to automatically and constantly replan paths based on real-time road situations, and respond immediately to unexpected situations.

The two companies expect 5G edge cloud-based robot delivery services to increase customer convenience and safety at a time when non-face-to-face contact services are high in demand due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.