Signal transmission possible via coaxial cable
Indoor 5G services are also scheduled to be provided at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

KT announced on the 9th that it has successfully demonstrated a '5G repeater' capable of efficiently securing 5G coverage inside buildings through technological cooperation with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, marking a world first.

Millimeter Wave (mmWave), a frequency band likely to be used for 5G mobile communication services, makes it difficult to provide 5G services at the same speed as above ground in indoor spaces, basements, and parking lots due to radio wave characteristics with low penetration into building walls. To overcome this, '5G repeater' technology is essential.

This demonstration, conducted at the KT 5G R&D Center, was carried out to verify '5G repeater' technology, which provides 5G services by sharing existing LTE repeater cables within a building. By utilizing this technology, 5G services can be provided immediately in areas where existing LTE repeaters are installed without the need to lay new cables, enabling faster and more efficient indoor 5G service delivery compared to competitors.

While existing LTE can secure coverage through repeater technology that transmits LTE signals by laying coaxial cables inside buildings, it was known that 5G signals could not be transmitted through coaxial cables because 5G provides services in frequency bands of tens of GHz or higher. However, KT succeeded in developing '5G repeater' technology that can transmit signals through coaxial cables by changing the frequency band of 5G signals, thereby gaining an advantage in the competition for 5G in-building quality and coverage.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the success of this demonstration, KT plans to take the lead in revitalizing the domestic 5G ecosystem through mutual cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises and provide indoor 5G services using '5G repeaters' at the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

“The successful demonstration of this 5G repeater technology is the result of the continuous dedication to 5G research and development through cooperation between KT and domestic SMEs,” said Lee Dong-myeon, Head of KT’s Convergence Technology Institute. “We will continue to develop differentiated new 5G technologies that are not available to competitors to showcase the best 5G solutions that simultaneously satisfy coverage, quality, and speed.”