Workshop on 5G Standardization Trends and Technology Development Status Held
The three major telecom companies say they need at least 800GHz of bandwidth .

With the PyeongChang Winter Olympics just one year away , interest in 5G trial services is growing .
Among these , a place was created to look back on the 5G standardization trends and technology development status . On the 10th, the Korea Institute of Communications and Information Sciences held a workshop titled "5G Standard Technology and Frequency / Industry Trends " for academic and industrial professionals in the medium-sized conference room of the Construction Center . The workshop explored 5G core technologies , frequency demand , allocation trends , and standardization trends, and included presentations and discussions on the current status of 5G technologies by SK Telecom , KT, and LG U+ . E4ds News reports on the main issues raised at the workshop and the contents of the discussions . < Editor's Note >

The three telecommunications companies, which are currently aiming for early commercialization of 5G, are accelerating efforts to establish 5G areas in which they can each specialize.

First, KT, a pilot service partner, is preparing for the PyeongChang Olympics to the extent that Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu came forward and said, “5G is not simply a network evolution, but an important strategic asset that will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”


▲ Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu visits the ' Pyeongchang Winter Olympics G-365 Experience Zone ' that opened at KT Square .

The pilot service that KT will present at the Pyeongchang Olympics will be in the 28GHz band. KT's Team Leader Kwak Do-young said, "Since the standard for 5G technology has not been established yet, we have established the world's first 5G standard that satisfies Verizon and the ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union) requirements," and added that the 28GHz field test of the 5G bus to be shown in PyeongChang was conducted in Gwanghwamun and the result was that it is possible even in a large city with tall buildings. He also explained that they plan to show Omni View, which provides 360-degree omnidirectional video, Time Slice, which expresses movement in three dimensions, Sync View, which is seen from the athlete's perspective, Hologram Live, which will be broadcast as real-time streaming, and security services using 5G (5G IoT-5G Safety).

Among the services that can be implemented with 5G, SK Telecom announced that it is focusing on connected cars. SKT's Lab Director Cho Seong-ho said, "There is talk of services such as VR and AR being implemented with 5G, but in order to differentiate ourselves from existing LTE services, we need to provide services that are one step ahead." He added, "We will provide a connected car service that enables safe driving using V2X, image recognition, drones, and multi-beams."

LG Uplus' team leader Kim Jung-seop said, "5G will enable services across a wide range of environments, including VR/AR, self-driving cars, remote surgery, smart cities, smart factories, and smart buildings," and added that they are focusing on issues that may arise when 5G is commercialized.

What needs to be prepared for successful 5G deployment and frequency allocation ?

Following the technological status of the three major telecommunications companies, a panel discussion was held. They discussed what preparations are needed for the successful introduction of 5G and frequency allocation. The discussion was based on the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning's (MSIP) K-ICT Spectrum Plan presentation. Moderated by Professor Hong In-ki of the Department of Electronic and Radio Engineering at Kyung Hee University (moderator), the panel included Kim Gyeong-woo, Director of the MSIP's Frequency Policy Division; Choi Young-seok, Executive Director of KT; Lim Hyeong-do, Executive Director of SKT; Park Hyeong-il, Executive Director of LGU+; and Noh Won-il, Executive Director of Samsung Electronics.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced the K-ICT Spectrum Plan on January 18th. This plan is a comprehensive mid- to long-term spectrum plan covering the period up to 2026. It is divided into four areas: mobile communications, industrial frequency, public frequency, and satellite frequency. The central plan is to provide a total of 4.3 GHz of 5G frequency by 2026. It was reported that the plan is to divide it into three stages: 2018 (Stage 1), 2021 (Stage 2), and 2026 (Stage 3), and supply 1.3GHz bandwidth in Stage 1, 2GHz bandwidth in Stage 2, and 1GHz bandwidth in Stage 3.

In the first phase (2018-2019), the 27.5-28.5 GHz band will be supplied, and the 3.5-3.7 GHz band will be supplied with a width of 300 MHz to secure coverage. In the second phase, the left and right adjacent bands of 28GHz, 26.5-27.5GHz and 28.5-29.5GHz bands are provided in 2GHz width, but if the ecosystem environment is created, the total 3GHz width can be supplied earlier in the first phase.

Since the announcement of the plan, the company has been discussing with relevant experts and business operators various matters related to allocation, including the size of the allocation blog, auction method, allocation period, allocation price, additional conditions for allocation, and measures to ensure fair and effective competition.


▲ A discussion session at the '5G Standard Technology and Frequency / Industry Trends ' workshop hosted by the Korea Institute of Information and Communications Sciences .

All three major telecommunications companies expect 5G to be commercialized in 2019 or early 2020 at the latest.

In response to additional questions about the discussion, including how the service will be implemented at the PyeongChang Olympics and whether terminals with LTE and mmWave will be supplied, Executive Director Choi Young-seok said, “We plan to distribute terminals and allow people to experience the service. He replied, "The terminal hasn't been set up yet." Managing Director Noh Won-il added, "Technically, it's impossible to build a network solely using mmWave, so I expect both will be deployed together to ensure a quick transition to LTE when haulback occurs."