Development of a 5G repeater to secure indoor 5G coverage
Expanding Coverage Through 5G Repeater-Base Station Interconnection
| Vitalizing the 5G ecosystem through technological collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises

KT announced on the 29th that it has completed the development of a 5G RF repeater and commercial network linkage that can quickly secure 5G indoor coverage together with domestic small and medium-sized partners.

The RF repeater developed this time is a solution that secures 5G coverage and improves service quality by installing it in small indoor shadow areas where 5G base station signals have difficulty reaching, such as small buildings and underground parking lots.

The newly developed 5G RF repeater's main feature is that it performs digital signal processing for 5G signal relay and base station synchronization extraction functions required for switching between transmission and reception of relay signals on a single integrated digital board.

The integrated digital board supports precise filtering and output control of wireless signals, enabling it to meet 5G equipment specification requirements that were difficult to achieve with existing analog methods.

To overcome the operational limitations of existing repeaters that perform synchronization extraction based on the received signal power in areas with weak radio waves, the solution is equipped with a digital synchronization extraction function, enabling use in a wider range of environments.

5G RF repeaters provide frequency stability and maximum output power to expand coverage and provide high-quality 5G wireless services.Verification of key repeater requirements, such as power and propagation delay, has been completed.

The interoperability test with the currently built KT 5G commercial base station and terminal has been completed, enabling immediate commercial application.

In addition to the 5G RF repeater developed this time, KT plans to continuously expand 5G coverage indoors as well as outdoors by utilizing various indoor solutions, including the world's first 5G optical repeater developed through a council of small and medium-sized partners in 2018 and recently commercialized.

We are currently conducting R&D collaborations with various domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, including FR Tech, a small and medium-sized partner in the development of this 5G RF repeater, and we plan to take the lead in building a 5G ecosystem through the 5G Open Lab.

Lee Seon-woo, head of KT Infrastructure Research Institute, said, “This 5G RF repeater development and commercial base station-terminal linkage achievement is the result of KT’s continuous collaboration with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises and dedicated efforts in technology development to secure the best 5G coverage.” He added, “Going forward, KT will continue to work to introduce 5G solutions that satisfy both 5G coverage and quality, while also working to revitalize the domestic 5G ecosystem.”