SK Telecom is applying AI technology to mobile communication base stations to enhance network performance and lay the foundation for 6G evolution.

SKT announced that it has completed performance verification of AI-based wireless network adaptation (Link Adaptation) technology with global mobile communications network manufacturer Ericsson and has applied the technology to its commercial network.

The AI-based wireless network adaptation technology that SKT has recently applied is a technology that identifies the mutual radio interference effect between cells (the range covered by the base station's radio waves) and adjacent cells, and combines the wireless environment information of the user terminal to improve the data transmission speed.

SKT said that while the network target quality index previously existed as a single fixed value, it has now dynamically changed the target quality index according to the situation based on the wireless resource utilization information of surrounding base stations, allowing smartphones to achieve maximum performance in real time within the base station range.

SKT developed the AI network management system 'TANGO (T Advanced Next Generation OSSOperational Supporting System)' and the AI-based core network technology 'Smart Paging', and has now applied AI solutions to base station equipment for the first time in Korea, thereby upgrading all areas of the mobile communications network. In particular, various commercial network wireless environment big data were learned using machine learning (ML) techniques.

SKT announced that it will enhance the perfection of AI technology based on 5G base stations and also promote the development of AI technology for 6G networks.

Park Jong-kwan, head of SKT’s infrastructure technology division, said, “Improving wireless network performance through AI, one of the core technologies of 6G, has great significance in network evolution,” and added, “We will continue our efforts to develop and commercialize AI technologies related to the advancement of 5G networks and use them as the cornerstone of 6G evolution.”

“This collaboration with SKT has enabled us to improve commercial network performance by optimizing wireless utilization through AI technology,” said Airin Cherian, head of 5G development and performance at Ericsson. “We expect this to be applicable to a variety of future LTE and 5G base stations.”