SK Telink will supply low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite communications to Korea Expressway Corporation, following an earlier deal with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the company said on the 13th. It marks the first application to Korea's road and transport infrastructure, in what analysts describe as an expansion of LEO satellite communications beyond maritime and energy sectors into public disaster response.
SK Telink installed mobile Starlink terminals for Korea Expressway Corporation, laying the groundwork for rapid deployment when heavy rain, wildfires, or earthquakes disrupt ground communication networks, or when emergency response is needed in communication dead zones. Korea Expressway Corporation first completed an initial rollout centered on 10 regional headquarters. It plans to gradually expand the scope of application after verifying stability and usability in actual disaster response environments.
Road and transport infrastructure includes many sites where communication conditions can become unstable, such as tunnels, mountain sections, and disaster scenes, making a stable command and situation-sharing system critical in emergencies. LEO satellite communications can supplement connectivity between the field and control rooms even during ground network failures or in dead zones, drawing attention as an alternative for enhancing disaster response capabilities.
SK Telink is the official business-to-business (B2B) reseller for Starlink Korea. After securing major domestic shipping companies as clients, it has expanded into KEPCO, which operates the national power grid, and Korea Expressway Corporation, which manages road infrastructure centered on expressways, cementing its position as a communications provider for national core infrastructure. "Our differentiation point is an integrated managed-service model that combines operations, security, and consulting, going beyond simply supplying lines," a company official said. "While providing ultra-high-speed, low-latency lines based on Starlink, we respond to failures with a 24/7, 365-day operating system, and support management plans tailored to the client's security policies as well as technical consulting on terminal configuration and installation that considers the field environment."
Lee Shin-yong, head of SK Telink's Satellite Business Division, said, "What shipping companies, KEPCO, and Korea Expressway Corporation all commonly demanded was, ultimately, uninterrupted communication." He added, "By adding quantum-encryption-based security technology and control capabilities to the LEO satellite communications operating expertise accumulated in national public infrastructure, we will expand our business into public safety areas directly linked to citizens' lives, such as maritime safety."
