The IEEE Milestone plaque unveiling ceremony took place on the 10th at SK Telecom’s Euljiro headquarters. The world’s largest association in the field of electrical engineering, IEEE, recognized SK Telecom’s CDMA technology and officially designated it as a milestone.
Since its founding in 1884 under the leadership of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, the IEEE has operated the ‘IEEE Milestone’ program since 1983 to honor historical achievements that have contributed to human society and industrial development. The recognition was awarded to SK Telecom for being the first in the world to commercialize CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology in 1996.
The plaque ceremony took place on the first floor, featuring congratulatory messages from key figures including SK Telecom’s CEO Yoo Young-sang. During the milestone celebration, Yoo shared his aspirations for the future, stating, “This year marks the 40th anniversary of mobile telecommunications in South Korea and the 40th anniversary of SK Telecom. The IEEE milestone recognition is a remarkable achievement made possible by collaboration with the government, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and SK Telecom. Due to the commercialization of CDMA, mobile telecommunications have become easily accessible to everyone, leading up to 5G. Now, as we enter the AI era, just like the beginning of CDMA commercialization, AI will bring about unforeseen changes in our world. SK Telecom will rise as a global AI company.”
Song Sang-hoon, Director of the Information and Communications Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, remarked, “The inclusion in the IEEE Milestone acknowledges our contribution to humanity. The government’s mobile telecommunications project began in earnest in the 1980s with a large-scale investment of 240 billion won. The decision to move forward with CDMA commercialization was based on its effectiveness compared to TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). From 1989 to 1996, 100 billion won was invested, which marked the beginning of our journey toward becoming a leading telecommunications country through the world’s first CDMA commercialization. Moving forward, the government will continue to invest generously as we prepare for the 6G era.”
Baek Yong-soon, Director of the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, stated, “In January 1996, South Korea, which was a telecommunications wasteland, achieved a significant transformation with just one CDMA device, dramatically changing the lives of our citizens. Our country has developed into a leader in international standardization and has created many key technologies with the advancement of each generation from 3G to 4G to 5G.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr