| 40 times more traffic than 4G, 40Gbps large-capacity service
| Heterogeneous wired and wireless connection environments integrated into one network
| Efforts to preempt the market through international standardization by developing original technologies

A domestic research team has developed a technology to increase service speed by combining wireless and wired networks in a 5G mobile communication network.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 9th that it has succeeded in developing a source technology that enables a large-capacity Internet service of up to 40 Gbps by combining 5G, Wi-Fi, and wired Internet networks through joint research with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises such as KT, Lanbird Technology, and Snet ICT.

The technology developed by the research team is a multi-access traffic aggregation technology that combines three networks into one. It controls different wired and wireless access environments in a single 5G core network, making it possible to accommodate 40 times more traffic than 4G.

With this technology, when 5G, Wi-Fi, and wired internet are used simultaneously, it can theoretically achieve a transmission speed of up to 40 Gbps by combining 5G's 20 Gbps, which is up to 20 times faster than LTE, the next-generation Wi-Fi (802.11ax) peak speed of 10 Gbps, and wired internet 10 Gbps. At this time, the access network status can be immediately controlled, providing the user with an optimal connection environment.

While the existing LTE and Wi-Fi combination technology was controlled from outside the mobile network, the difference with this technology is that when combining 5G, Wi-Fi, and wired Internet networks, control is done from within the 5G mobile network.

This technology can be applied to providing large-capacity, high-speed services such as VR/AR and ultra-high-definition media (4K UHD) in 5G mobile communication networks. This technology development is expected to open the way to discovering and applying various new services by enabling large-capacity services and traffic control through the integration of wired and wireless infrastructure. It also provides users with an optimal connection environment by providing inexpensive high-speed data.

The research team implemented the technology about a year ahead of the scheduled date for completion of international standardization by 3GPP, an international standards body that defines functions for managing multi-access traffic in different access network environments.

The international standard currently in progress is promoting the use of MPTCP (Multi-Path TCP) as a technology to increase transmission speed and link 5G and Wi-Fi.

ETRI has developed a source technology to directly apply MPTCP to 5G mobile communication networks, enabling the provision of large-capacity data transmission services by combining 5G wireless networks, Wi-Fi, and wired Internet networks, going one step further than international standards.

It is developed to comply with the 3GPP standard for connecting different wired and wireless access networks to a single 5G core network, and to place the MPTCP server within the 5G mobile communications network.

In the future, when evolved LTE access is connected to the 5G core, it can also be expanded to a multi-access traffic aggregation technology that combines up to LTE.

Dr. Kim Chang-ki of ETRI’s Network Research Center said, “It is possible to stably provide services that reflect various user requirements through access network integration,” and “This is expected to reduce the investment burden on telecommunications companies and secure efficiency in the use of network resources.”

This machineThe project, titled 'Development of Non-dependent 5G Core Technology for Wired and Wireless Access' by the Ministry of Science and ICT, has been ongoing since 2015, and has applied for around 40 patents at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, ETRI is preparing to transfer already developed 5G core network technologies, including multi-access combining technology, to joint research institutes and network equipment manufacturers, and plans to support domestic companies in commercializing 5G core network equipment early through this.