SK Telecom Co., Ltd. SKM

Competitive advantage analysis · communication-services

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
63/100
Moderate

Ranked against 59 peers in Telecom Services

About SK Telecom Co., Ltd.

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. engages in the provision of wireless telecommunication services in South Korea. The company operates through three segments: Cellular Services, Fixed-Line Telecommunications Services, and Other Businesses. The Cellular Services segment offers wireless voice and data transmission, Internet of Things solutions, platform, cloud, smart factory solutions, subscription, advertising and curated shopping under T Deal brand name, and metaverse … Full SKM analysis →

Key strengths

  • Margins Stable Across Cycles Operating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.89), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
  • Scale Supporting Profitability Profitability at scale is strong (score 0.72), demonstrating competitive advantages.

Key risks

  • Inconsistent Cash Generation Cash generation is inconsistent (score 0.44), indicating operational challenges.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Strong
79
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where SKM ranks in Telecom Services

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. ranks #18 of 56 scored companies in Telecom Services by moat score — the top 32%. The widest moat in the group is Iridium Communications Inc (IRDM) at 76/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
14 Radcom Ltd. RDCM 66/100 Moderate
15 T-Mobile US, Inc. TMUS 65/100 Moderate
16 Verizon Communications Inc. VZ 63/100 Moderate
17 AT&T Inc. T 63/100 Moderate
18 SK Telecom Co., Ltd. SKM 63/100 Moderate
19 Anterix Inc. ATEX 62/100 Moderate
20 IDT Corporation IDT 61/100 Moderate
21 Rogers Communication, Inc. RCI 60/100 Moderate
22 KT Corporation KT 60/100 Moderate

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How SKM scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 79 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 65 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 58 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 52 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 57 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 61 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding SKM's moat

What is SK Telecom Co., Ltd.'s moat score?

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (SKM) scores 63 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #18 of 56 scored companies in Telecom Services, the top 32%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 59 companies in Telecom Services. Its strongest defense is Pricing Power (79/100) and its weakest is Capital Efficiency (52/100).

How does SK Telecom Co., Ltd. compare with other Telecom Services companies?

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. ranks #18 of 56 scored companies in Telecom Services by moat score. The widest moat in Telecom Services is Iridium Communications Inc (IRDM) at 76/100. The companies ranked closest are AT&T Inc. (T) at 63 just above it and Anterix Inc. (ATEX) at 62 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 59 companies in Telecom Services. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is SK Telecom Co., Ltd. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for SK Telecom Co., Ltd.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and SKM scores: Pricing Power (79), Cost Advantage (65), Customer Stickiness (58), Capital Efficiency (52), Resilience (57), Scale & Market Position (61). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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