SK Telecom to upgrade ifland metaverse for one-year anniversary

SK Telecom will upgrade its ifland metaverse platform in celebration of the service's first anniversary. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom will upgrade its ifland metaverse platform in celebration of the service's first anniversary, the telco said Wednesday.

Users will be given point incentives for using the app on a daily basis, which can be used to buy items. People will be able to make their own 3-D items and trade them, and later monetize the income into real-life cash. A PC version will also be made available.

The updates will be made within the third quarter of this year, but an exact date has not yet been set.

SK Telecom plans to take ifland to overseas markets. It signed an agreement with Germany’s Deutsche Telekom in May to bring ifland to European markets within this year. SK Telecom is also in talks with telecom companies in other countries, according to the company.

“ifland has grown into an iconic metaverse platform thanks to the love it has received from a wide range of generations and corporations,” said Yang Maeng-seok, head of SK Telecom’s metaverse unit. “We plan to enrich our metaverse ecosystem with upgraded functions and content.”

ifland was launched on July 14, 2021, as the telecom company’s metaverse platform.

It has been downloaded by 8.7 million users in Korea as of last month. People spent an average of 61 minutes using ifland in June, according to SK Telecom.

A series of free music concerts was held from June 27 to July 3, attracting over 20,000 viewers during the seven-day run.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]