SK Telecom (SKT) labelled itself as the only domestic operator participating in a major car show taking place in South Korea this week, as it continued to push a vision of urban air mobility (UAM) it claimed could transform the nation’s skyline by 2030.

The operator installed a VR simulator on a robotic arm at the 2022 Busan International Motor Show to demonstrate various practicalities of potential UAM set-ups, including flight boarding, connectivity and entertainment.

SKT stated the simulator enables “visitors to experience UAM flights”, while a large screen on the stand is being used to demonstrate what the “sky of Busan will look like in 2030” while the robot arm is in action, featuring images of the aircraft which could be employed at a “vertiport”.

It first deployed the robotic arm at MWC Barcelona 2022.

Park Kyu-hyun, VP and head of SKT’s Digital Comm Office, explained the stand advanced efforts to “expand the base for the UAM service and create a public consensus” on the concept.

Alongside the motor show, SKT detailed participation in the 2022 Korea Drone/UAM Expo, demonstrating its core competencies in areas including flight control systems, communications and service platforms.

It is another step in an SKT goal to take a leading position in the UAM market, which previously saw the operator team with the Korea Transport Institute think tank and form a consortium focused on developing commercial technology.