SK Telecom and e&, an Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider that was formerly known as Etisalat Group, have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a metaverse service in the Middle East.

The South Korean telecom company is already operating its own metaverse platform called “ifland”, and on Wednesday, Oct. 12, it established an agreement with United Arab Emirates’ leading telecom company to bring its virtual reality space service to regions in the Middle East.

As per The Korea Herald, in the MOU that was signed by SK Telecom and e&, the former agreed to develop a metaverse service especially customized to go with the tastes and culture of the Middle Eastern users. SKT will use the data from local markets to create the service.

It was learned that both companies are jointly carrying out market research and pushing for this process further so they can understand what exactly the consumers in the Middle East need and want. They are currently analyzing the metaverse experience of e& service subscribers. Through the data that will be collected from the research, they will check the marketability of the new metaverse service in the country.

“Following our major announcement on the metaverse with e& universe at GITEX Global 2022, the partnership with SKT to develop the Metaverse Service is another major step forward as we stay invested in building a robust metaverse ecosystem in the ever-evolving immersive virtual world,” Korea IT Times quoted e& Life’s chief executive officer, Khalifa Al Shamsi, as saying in a statement.

Khalifa went on to say that the partnership is the beginning of a new journey for the company as they continue to look for opportunities to improve experiences while also building a virtual space that can contribute to a vibrant digital future.

“The metaverse offers limitless possibilities, opening doors to engaging with customers in innovative ways as they participate in heightened interactive experiences that were previously unimagined,” he added.

Ha Min Yong, SK Telecom’s chief development officer, also said that through this collaboration with e&, they expect to bring new metaverse experiences to customers in the Middle East. He said that they also have plans to expand the partnership with e& and explore other areas of ICT.