SK Telecom Q3 Revenue Up 13.1%; AI Data Centers Under Construction in Ulsan and Seoul

SK Telecom reported its third-quarter 2026 results on November 4. On a consolidated basis, revenue came in at 4.4973 trillion won and operating profit at 552.3 billion won. Revenue rose 13.1% from the same period a year earlier and 3.2% from the previous quarter. The company said it is pursuing growth in its telecom business alongside the build-out of AI data centers and the rollout of its in-house AI model across its services.

How much did the telecom business grow?

Consolidated net profit was 411.8 billion won. Operating profit remained in the 500 billion won range for a third consecutive quarter. On a standalone basis, the company posted revenue of 3.1563 trillion won, operating profit of 413.5 billion won and net profit of 298.9 billion won. The third-quarter dividend is 830 won per share, unchanged from the first and second quarters.

In telecom, a rise in high-speed internet subscribers lifted fixed-line revenue, which grew 7.4% year on year. On the wireless side, the company shifted its marketing approach to center on customer lifetime value, a measure of how much value a single customer generates for the company over the course of the relationship. SK Telecom said that change led to a gradual recovery in revenue. It also noted that it ranked first this year in the National Customer Satisfaction Index, the Korean Standard Service Quality Index and the Korean Customer Satisfaction Index.

Who handles the AI data centers?

The AI data center business has been divided into three functions: strategy, business development and operations. SK Telecom handles overall strategy, risk management and overseas partnerships. SK Hyper, launched in July, is in charge of business development. SK Horizon, launched in August, oversees facility operations and expansion. The company’s idea is that splitting the roles this way will speed up execution.

Facility expansion is centered on Ulsan and Seoul. SK Horizon is building new data centers in the two cities with a combined capacity of about 180 megawatts. The company also plans to expand its submarine cable business in stages.

Talks to line up customers are under way as well. SK Hyper is discussing business terms with potential clients, mainly around Ulsan. Once terms are settled, the company said, it plans to move straight into development on sites it has already secured.

What changes for A.?

The company is also broadening the use of its own model in AI services for consumers and office workers. SK Telecom said the in-house model that underpins a range of its AI services is being applied to A. (A dot), its AI assistant, and to its workplace AI services. It also laid out a goal of combining telecom and AI capabilities through its participation in “Modu-ui AI” (“AI for Everyone”) to build the country’s largest AI service ecosystem.

Park Jong-seok, SK Telecom’s chief financial officer, said the company will tie telecom and AI together into a single growth strategy. For users, the question is what features that in-house AI model will actually bring to A. and the workplace services, and how the conditions for using those services may change. Whether the data centers secure customers, and what concrete changes appear in the services, will both be worth watching.