과학기술정보통신부는 7일 판교 제2테크노밸리에서 한국정보통신기술협회(TTA), 한국전자통신연구원(ETRI), 통신사·제조사 등 업계 대표와 오픈랜 국제공인시험소(Open Testing and Integration Centre, 이하 ‘Korea OTIC’) 개소식을 개최했다고 밝혔다.
Korea OTIC Opening Ceremony Held in Pangyo on the 7th
Free support for certification of small and medium-sized open LAN equipment
SKT to Hold O-RAN Alliance Standardization Meeting Next Year
The path has been opened for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises to easily obtain international certification for open LAN equipment and commercialize it.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 7th that it held the opening ceremony of the Open Testing and Integration Centre (Korea OTIC) at Pangyo 2nd Techno Valley with representatives from the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), telecommunication companies, and manufacturers.
OpenLAN is a technology that allows equipment from various manufacturers to interconnect with each other according to international standards. Until now, OpenLAN equipment had to receive international certification from existing overseas internationally accredited testing laboratories in the U.S., Japan, Europe, etc. to ensure interoperability with third-party equipment and networks.
With the opening of 'Korea OTIC', domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have the capacity to build their own testing and verification infrastructure can now conduct domestic conformity and interoperability tests for open LAN equipment free of charge and easily obtain international certification.
TTA and ETRI have been preparing for the opening of the certification center since April of this year by establishing an open-LAN-based testing and measurement equipment and testing environment in Pangyo and Daejeon and establishing an operation plan. They received final approval for operation as an internationally accredited testing laboratory in October of last year.
■ 3 mobile carriers participate in plugfest, 'efforts to create open-LAN ecosystem' Domestic mobile carriers (SKT, KT, LG U+) are also expected to participate as joint operating organizations of ‘Korea OTIC.’
SKT participated as the organizer of PlugFest and presented the results of open LAN technology tests and the direction of technology evolution. SKT announced the results of △ open fronthaul-based base station equipment tests △ virtualized base station power consumption reduction technology tests △ open LAN power consumption measurement tests. First, it disclosed the results of open fronthaul-based base station equipment tests with ETRI, HFR, Keysight, Nokia, and Samji Electronics.
SKT also announced the results of the 'Power Consumption Reduction Technology Test for OpenLAN Virtualized Base Stations' conducted in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Intel, Samsung Electronics, and VIAVI Solutions. SKT virtually built its commercial network environment using VIAVI Solutions’ terminal emulator, and effectively controlled the C-State (power saving state) of Intel CPUs installed in HPE general-purpose servers through the function of Samsung Electronics’ virtualized base station software, confirming the power consumption reduction effect for virtualized base stations.
Nokia, together with Keysight, announced the results of a power consumption measurement test for an open RAN base station, suggesting the need for and direction of standardization of related technologies to effectively measure power consumption and savings of open RAN equipment. SKT plans to hold the first domestic O-RAN Alliance standardization meeting in June next year.
KT succeeded in creating an open-LAN base station by combining the wireless unit (RU) of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (Solid and FR Tech) and the distributed unit (DU) of Nokia. LG U+ is also continuing cooperation with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises such as Samji Electronics and Innowireless for testing and verification of open-LAN equipment.
■ Sharing the direction of TTA open-LAN policy promotion At the event, organizations implementing policies and projects related to open LAN also provided information on the government's open LAN policy implementation performance and plans to domestic open LAN companies. First, TTA plays a role in issuing three types of international certifications: △performance of open LAN equipment itself, △compatibility with equipment from other manufacturers, and △operating performance within the overall network environment. OTIC facilities and equipment will continue to be upgraded until 2027.
The results of international joint research currently underway with major countries such as the US and the UK were also announced. ETRI is developing software to more efficiently control AI-based base station equipment with Northeastern University in the US. Solid Co., Ltd. is conducting research on high-efficiency antenna components and AI-based energy efficiency optimization software to improve the energy efficiency of open LAN equipment with British AWTG.
In order to create an open-LAN ecosystem, the government will install and operate domestic companies' open-LAN equipment in specific spaces such as large stadiums, exhibition halls, and commercial facilities starting next year. The organizer, the National Information Society Agency (NIA), announced a plan to provide equipment manufacturers with verification experience and telecommunications companies with an opportunity to verify open-LAN systems through this project.
Hong Jin-bae, Director of Network Policy, said in his congratulatory speech that day, “2023 is the year when the Ministry of Science and ICT’s efforts to develop technology and build infrastructure to activate open LANs have borne fruit,” and pledged, “The government will continue to work tirelessly to develop the domestic open LAN industry and secure global leadership by expanding open LAN demonstrations and strengthening international cooperation such as talent cultivation.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the 'K-Network 2030 Strategy' in February of this year to lead the activation of open LAN, and in April, launched the 'Open LAN Industry Alliance', a public-private consultative body for the creation of an open LAN ecosystem. In August, it presented the 'Open LAN Activation Policy Plan' with the following as its main points: △Establishment of infrastructure to support full-cycle commercialization, △Securing technological and standard competitiveness, and △Establishment of an ecosystem based on public-private cooperation.