SK Telecom closes strong quarter as it develops AI data centers

Revenue and operating income increased

SK Telecom presented its results for the third quarter of 2026 on November 4 under the Korean International Financial Reporting Standards, or K-IFRS. The company reported consolidated revenue of 4,4973 trillion won, operating income of 552.3 billion won and net income of 411.8 billion won.

Revenue increased by 3.2 percent from the previous quarter and by 13.1 percent from the same period a year earlier. Growth was supported by the performance of the wireless and fixed-line telecommunications businesses. Operating income has now exceeded 500 billion won for the third consecutive quarter.

On a standalone, or non-consolidated, basis, SK Telecom reported revenue of 3,1563 trillion won, operating income of 413.5 billion won and net income of 298.9 billion won.

Long-term customer value takes priority in telecommunications

Revenue from the wireless business gradually improved after SK Telecom shifted its marketing approach toward the customer lifetime value, or CLV. This measures the value generated by a customer over the entire period of their use of the service.

Fixed-line telecommunications revenue increased by 7.4 percent year on year, partly due to an increase in the number of broadband internet subscribers. According to the company, SK Telecom ranked first this year in South Korea’s three major customer satisfaction surveys: NCSI, KS-SQI and KCSI. The company views this as progress in restoring customer trust.

SK Telecom announced a third-quarter dividend of 830 won per share. This is the same as the dividend set for the first and second quarters of 2026.

AI data center business to receive separate organizations

SK Telecom launched SK Hyper in July and SK Horizon in August. The creation of the two organizations provides a separate execution framework for the company’s AI data center, or AIDC, business.

SK Telecom centrally oversees the AI data center strategy, risk management and global partnerships. SK Hyper is responsible for business development, while SK Horizon handles infrastructure operations and expansion. The company said this division of responsibilities will enable more efficient execution.

SK Horizon is currently developing new data centers in Seoul and Ulsan, with a combined capacity of approximately 180 megawatts. The organization also plans to gradually expand its submarine cable business. SK Hyper is discussing business terms with potential customers, focusing primarily on Ulsan. Once the agreements are finalized, the company plans to accelerate infrastructure construction using the sites already secured.

AI services to be integrated into a joint growth strategy

SK Telecom is expanding the use of its proprietary AI foundation model in A., or the A-DoT AI assistant, as well as in workplace AI services. Through its participation in South Korea’s “AI for All” initiative, the company aims to combine its telecommunications and AI capabilities to create the country’s largest AI services ecosystem.

“Thanks to our two pillars, telecommunications and AI, we were able to achieve both recovery and growth at the same time,” said Park Jong-seok, chief financial officer of SK Telecom. He added that the company plans to bring its telecommunications and AI businesses under a unified growth strategy in the future and further strengthen the synergies between them.

The conference call accompanying the earnings report became available on the SK Telecom website at 16:00 Korea time on November 4. According to the announcement, alongside telecommunications services, the AI assistant, workplace AI services and the AI data center infrastructure under development represent the company’s next areas of focus for users and business partners.