SKT preps US launch of its AI personal assistant

• South Korea’s SK Telecom has international aspirations as it morphs into an AI company
• It has started signing up users in the US for the beta launch of Aster, its personal AI assistant
• A full commercial launch in the US is set for H2, while Aster is due to be launched in other international markets from 2026 onwards

SK Telecom (SKT) has started signing up users for its personal AI assistant, dubbed Aster, in the US market, ahead of the launch of a beta version of the ‘agentic AI’ application in March. 

The company opened registration for the beta service during the CES 2025 show in Las Vegas, where Chung Suk-geun, head of SKT’s global personal AI agent business division, stated: “Unlike conventional AI services that stop at providing simple answers to user queries, Aster delivers a differentiated experience as an agentic AI capable of performing essential tasks in daily life… We will work hard to expand Aster’s ecosystem ahead of its official launch this year.” 

Those who want to trial the beta service can register at SKT’s CES booth or online at https://www.asterapp.ai/.

Aster, which was first unveiled during SKT’s AI Summit last November, is designed to efficiently manage people’s daily lives using personalised suggestions and reminders and is based on four main functions – planning, execution, reminders, and advice, noted SKT in this announcement (in Korean).  

“The biggest difference between Aster and other AI services is that it provides a service that finds ‘answers’ through communication between users and AI agents,” noted SKT, which plans to partner with domestic telcos, tech companies and developers to take Aster to market in the US. 

Following the beta service trial, a full commercial service launch is set for the second half of 2025, with the service to be expanded to other international markets in 2026 as SKT seeks to further position itself as an AI company – see SK Telecom revamps for the AI era.

Agentic AI looks set to be a hot topic in tech and telecom circles this year, as we noted earlier this week – see Nvidia CEO ushers in the ‘agentic AI’ era.

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV