SKT is developing 5G-R communication for digital transformation of railways.

SKT and the Korea Railroad Research Institute announced on the 20th that they will be conducting a next-generation railway communication link 5G-R communication test network construction and verification project.

The Ieum 5G-R is a 5G-based railway communication network that enables 5G data communication on trains running at speeds of over 350 km/h. This test network utilizes Ieum 5G, which uses the 4.7 GHz frequency band. Currently, LTE-R, which utilizes the LTE network, is being applied to domestic railways.

The Korea Railroad Research Institute plans to carry out the project 'Development of 5G-R Core Technologies for Railway Digital Transformation' for a total of four years from 2023 to 2026.

During this period, 5G SA-based 5G-R test network construction, coverage extension technology, network slicing technology, railway-specific services, and QoS verification will be conducted.

SKT formed a consortium with Contela and SK O&S and won the first-year contract for the project, thereby participating in the development of 5G-R.

The first-year service contract awarded to SKT, Contela, and SK O&S includes the design of the structure of the Ieum 5G-R network (test network) to be built on the Osong Comprehensive Railway Test Line, cell plan, and production of core prototypes.

The tasks for the second year are to complete the construction of a wireless network base station, and the tasks for the third and fourth years are to verify 5G-based railway services, railway system functions, and LTE-R service interoperability.

Jeong Chang-kwon, Vice President and Head of SKT Infrastructure Biz, said, “SKT has been leading the LTE-R field, including participating in the LTE-based railway dedicated network development project in 2013 and winning the world’s first LTE-R project in 2015.” He added, “We will actively collaborate with Contela and SK O&S so that meaningful research results can be produced in the field of railway 5G wireless communication technology through this project.”

Han Seok-yoon, president of the Korea Railroad Research Institute, said, “Ieum 5G-R, the core infrastructure for the digital transformation of the railway, is a technology that will realize the government’s ‘Digital Strategy of the Republic of Korea,’” and added, “We will complete it as a premium K-railway technology by building and verifying the Ieum 5G-R test bed.”