KT and Ericsson have expanded 5G coverage, laying the foundation to provide 5G without location restrictions.

KT announced on the 10th that it has successfully completed the development and technology verification of a wireless unit (Remote Unit) that combines LTE and 5G antennas with Ericsson and the Ericsson Research Lab in Sweden.

Since March, KT has been discussing with Ericsson the development of RUs that combine LTE and 5G antennas to further expand 5G coverage.

Until now, the lack of space on building rooftops to install 5G equipment has been an obstacle, but the wireless unit developed by KT and Ericsson is designed to overlap the 5G antenna on the back of the LTE antenna so that the 5G signal passes through the LTE passive antenna, allowing more LTE and 5G antennas to be installed in the same building area.

Additionally, the two companies introduced 'Beam Through' technology to the equipment to address the phenomenon of reduced 5G beamforming performance due to the influence of the LTE antenna located at the front during the development of the new wireless unit.

Beam through only certain signals With the technology that selectively passes through, KT reported that it was able to draw out 100% of the performance of the 5G antenna without the influence of the LTE antenna during the test process.

KT Network Research and Technology Division Head Koo Jae-hyung, Executive Director, said, “Through this equipment development collaboration with Ericsson, KT has secured the foundation to provide high-quality 5G services anytime, anywhere by expanding 5G coverage into small spaces,” and “KT will further strengthen its 5G service competitiveness through this.”