South Korean telco KT has signed a memorandum of understanding with US firm Sibel Health as it diversifies its business from robotics to digital health.

Sibel Health spun out of the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University. It specialises in ICU-grade biosensors, which KT hopes will boost its competence in artificial intelligence (AI) and big data-based digital health.

KT and Sibel will launch a pilot project that employs ICT-based monitoring for digital health and conduct data analyses and modelling with the use of AI and big data. They plan to explore digital health business in developing countries and collaborate with international funders on projects and business models.

“With Sibel, KT will better explore business opportunities in developing countries as well as other global digital health markets,” said Kim Hyoung-Wook, executive vice president at KT. “KT’s Global Epidemic Prevention Platform (GEPP) and Sibel’s innovative sensing technology, when combined, will help provide optimal medical service for the Covid-19 and other epidemic and medical situations.”

The partnership comes as KT seeks to transform itself beyond telecoms after CEO Ku Hyeon-Mo took office in March this year. KT recently unveiled KT Enterprise, a business-to-business strategy to lead innovation across industries.

“As a medical technology company committed to a mission of delivering better health data for all, we are extremely pleased to sign this MoU with KT,” said Sibel CEO Steve Xu. “Together, we believe our advanced bio-integrated sensors and KT’s innovative infrastructure will unlock the potential of AI and big data for the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.”

KT has gained a competitive edge in digital health since it developed the GEPP in 2019. The multifunction platform warns of epidemic outbreaks and offers relevant information to travellers while tracing their movement to help stop disease transmission.

This year, KT received a grant for a surveillance study for epidemic preparedness from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a grant from Korea-based Right Fund to assist in measuring the risk of Covid-19 contraction. The fund finances health research and development projects worldwide.

Sibel, with technology collecting biometric information in all patients, won the 2020 Spinoff Prize by Nature Research, the publisher of Nature journal. The award recognises start-up companies born at universities.

KT is Korea’s largest telecommunications service provider.