Major telecom companies SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are expected to report mixed second-quarter earnings ahead of a broader push into artificial intelligence investments in the second half of the year. According to consensus forecasts compiled by FnGuide, the three operators are expected to post combined second-quarter revenue of 15.2 trillion won and operating profit of 1.45 trillion won. Revenue is forecast to rise 2.6 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit is expected to decline 12.7 percent. SK Telecom is projected to post a sharp rebound in operating profit, with estimated second-quarter revenue of 4.41 trillion won and operating profit of 527.9 billion won, up about 56 percent from a year earlier, reflecting the absence of one-off costs tied to last year’s universal subscriber identity module (USIM) hacking incident. LG Uplus is expected to maintain steady earnings, with market consensus pointing to second-quarter revenue of 3.91 trillion won and operating profit of 312.2 billion won. KT is expected to be the only major carrier to report weaker profitability, with an estimated 40 percent drop year-over-year in operating profit to about 609 billion won in the second quarter, and revenue projected at 6.89 trillion won, due to a high base effect from last year and additional pressure from customer compensation programs.