KT, Ericsson and Nokia Join Forces to Complete Final Stage of 5G Technology Development
Published2017.04.26 13:52Equipment to be Used in Actual 5G Trial Service Confirmed Through Upgrades; Deployment to Begin in Second Half
KT announced that it has successfully achieved interoperability between 5G equipment and terminals that were previously developed separately by different manufacturers in collaboration with Ericsson and Nokia for the successful 2018 PyeongChang 5G trial service.
The 5G interoperability test was conducted at Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden and Nokia headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. In the test, each company successfully connected their respective 5G network equipment developed based on the 'PyeongChang 5G standard' with 5G terminals newly developed by global manufacturers including Intel. This is the first time data has been successfully transmitted seamlessly in a 5G network composed of equipment and terminals from different manufacturers.
Going forward, KT, Ericsson, and Nokia will conduct final functional improvements to 5G network equipment, confirm the equipment to be used in the actual 5G trial service, and proceed with manufacturing. Beginning in the second half of this year, the 5G trial service network will be constructed in earnest. The three companies plan to jointly develop 'Virtual Network' technology that enables efficient 5G network construction by separating base stations and network equipment in virtual form, and 'Network Slicing' technology that allows users to select and differentiate networks according to their chosen services.
Additionally, they agreed to cooperate on developing 'Beam Forming' and 'Beam Tracking' technologies that can overcome the short coverage characteristics of high-frequency bands such as 28GHz, which is KT's technology, and technology to interoperate 5G with 4G.
KT stated, "Since the 5G terminals utilized in this test are the final version for the 5G trial service to be showcased at PyeongChang, 5G technology development has reached virtually the final stage."
Oh Sung-mok, President of KT Network Division, said, "The 5G trial service to be unveiled at PyeongChang must be pre-verified for stability, multiple services, and interoperability among system and terminal manufacturers. Through strengthened cooperation with Ericsson and Nokia, we will enhance the completeness of the PyeongChang 5G trial network while leading technology development for successful 5G commercialization."
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