[Critical IT Scene] 4.5G Service Launches for Early VR/AR Activation
Published2017.06.05 12:25SK Telecom announced that it will begin 4.5G services, including '5-band CA', in 57 cities and counties across the country, including Seoul, starting on the 5th.
5-band CA is a core 4.5G technology that combines five LTE frequencies into a single frequency band, enhancing data transmission speeds and performance. SK Telecom was the first in the world to launch commercial 5-band CA service, and this technology can provide speeds of up to 700 Mbps.
According to the technical specifications of the international standards body 3GPP, up to five LTE frequencies can be bundled. Therefore, the commercialization of this "5-band CA" technology can be seen as the final stage of LTE evolution. An SK official stated that SK Telecom is the only domestic mobile carrier to have secured five LTE frequency bands.
Additionally, SK Telecom will provide 4.5G service with a speed of up to 900 Mbps by combining '3-4 band CA' technology and '4x4 multi-antenna' technology in major urban areas of six cities including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan.
4.5G service is provided to SK Telecom customers using the Galaxy S8 series. To use the service, customers can click OK on the software upgrade pop-up message or select the upgrade directly on the settings screen.
SK Telecom will initially offer 4.5G service at speeds of 700 Mbps to 900 Mbps in key areas of 57 cities and counties nationwide, with plans to expand to 85 cities and counties in the first half of the year. Furthermore, the company plans to expand its service area to ensure that over 50% of the nation's population has access to 4.5G by the end of the year.
4.5G services are expected to support high speeds even based on LTE, contributing to the early activation of realistic multimedia services such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 3D holograms that will become fully available in the 5G era.
SK Telecom plans to continue developing 4.5G technology and launch a 4.5G service with speeds exceeding 1 Gbps, faster than wired gigabit internet. Most premium smartphones released in the future are expected to be equipped with 4.5G-capable technology.
SK Telecom’s Head of Infrastructure Strategy Choi Seung-won said, “SK Telecom customers can experience differentiated quality in a wider area through 4.5G service even when using the same device,” and added, “We will continue to apply next-generation technologies to provide the best network quality to our customers.”
관련뉴스
SKT leads 5G technology with U.S. and European mobile carriers
SK Telecom is significantly strengthening cooperation with U.S. mobile carrier Verizon and European mobile carrier Deutsche Telekom to lead global 5G technology and create a global New ICT ecosystem. Verizon's top executives, including Chairman Lowell McAdam, visited SK Telecom's 5G Innovation Center and met with SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho to discuss ways to expand cooperation in areas such as 5G, connected cars, and IoT.
2017.04.04by 김지혜 기자
SKT to Integrate ICT Technology into Rental Housing
SK텔레콤은 종합부동산관리회사인 HN주택임대관리, 임대관리업체인 HN서브와 민간기업형 임대주택(KEB하나스테이)에 첨단 ICT 기반 생활편의 시설 및 서비스를 구축하는 내용의 공동이행협약(MoU)을 체결했다고 밝혔다. 첨단 ICT 서비스들이 구축될 임대주택은 대구 포정·대명동, 부산 광안·양정동에 각각 건축중인 KEB하나스테이 임대주택의 2018년 초 준공을 시작으로, 2020년까지 약 1만호 규모(착공 기준)이다. 3사는 하나스테이에 사물인터넷(IoT) 기반 스마트홈, 건물에너지관리(BEMS), 헬스케어, 통합 보안 시스템, 카셰어링(Car Sharing), O2O(Online to Offline) 서비스 등 다양한 ICT 기반 서비스와 시설을 적용할 계획이다.
2017.05.23by 김지혜 기자
SKT. 'Data obtained from offshore base stations transmitted via underwater communication'
The ocean: Earth's last communication blind spot. Underwater communication technology for creating the world's first "submarine communication base station" has been unveiled. Underwater communication technology is becoming increasingly critical in South Korea, where three sides of the country are surrounded by ocean, addressing demands including ▲national defense needs such as submarine detection, as well as ▲monitoring radioactivity and shellfish toxins and red tide tracking for seafood safety, and ▲early warning systems for tsunamis and submarine earthquakes. Global competition among nations is intensifying. SK Telecom and Hoseo University announced on the 31st that they successfully conducted underwater communication technology tests using LTE methods in an environment 10km west of Incheon Southern Port, at a water depth of approximately 25m, with a transmission/reception distance of approximately 800m. This is "base station-based underwater communication technology" that has been conducted since 2015, with SK Telecom and 13 other research institutions participating through 2021. On this day, Hoseo University and SK Telecom measured approximately 10 types of information including underwater water temperature, salinity, and current velocity, successfully implementing continuous transmission and reception of text and image data at 20-second intervals by superimposing LTE (OFDM modulation) frequency onto acoustic waves (3~70KHz). During the technology demonstration, the research team showcased real-time image transmission of text and photo data, demonstrating that information collected through various sensors in the underwater network can be aggregated at an underwater base station and then reliably transmitted to land through marine buoys. The waters off Incheon in the West Sea are particularly unsuitable for underwater communication due to high turbidity and shallow depth; the demonstration is evaluated as having demonstrated stable underwater communication network performance despite these adverse conditions. Professor Ko Hak-lim of Hoseo University stated, "The demonstration of underwater communication methods for creating submarine base stations is the first in Korea, and through this demonstration, various data aggregated at the underwater base station successfully transmitted to marine buoys via underwater communication, marking our advancement beyond the critical research phase for establishing an underwater base station testbed."
2017.05.31by 김자영 기자
European Patent Applications Surpass 200,000 for the First Time… South Korea Maintains 5th Place, Led by Batteries and Telecommunications
According to the European Patent Office (EPO)'s 'Technology Dashboard 2025', European patent applications last year reached 201,974, surpassing 200,000 for the first time. Korean companies and inventors filed 14,355 applications, representing a 9.5% increase from the previous year and maintaining 5th place by country. Battery, digital communication, and semiconductor technologies led the growth, with Samsung ranking as the top EPO applicant for the second consecutive year and LG reaching 3rd place. The presence of major domestic cities such as Seoul, Suwon, and Yongin was also confirmed. It was also revealed that Korea's European patent strategy is expanding beyond individual technologies to span the entire industry.
2026.03.24by 명세환 기자
SK Telecom First Applies AI-Based Network Operations at Gwanghwamun K-Pop Concert
SK텔레콤이 3월 21일 서울 광화문 일대에서 열린 대형 K-팝 공연에 AI 기반 네트워크 운영 시스템을 처음 적용해 통신 품질을 관리했다고 밝혔다. 공연 전후 3시간 동안 모바일 데이터 사용량은 12.15TB로 직전 주말 같은 시간대보다 약 2배 늘었다. SK텔레콤은 AI 시스템 ‘A-One’을 활용해 5분 단위, 50m 단위로 트래픽을 감시하며 과부하 가능성에 대응했고, 임시 통신 시설과 현장 인력 운영도 병행했다. 밀집 행사와 외국인 이용 수요가 동시에 늘어나는 환경에서 AI 기반 자율 네트워크 운영의 현장 적용 가능성을 확인한 사례로 해석된다.
2026.03.23by 명세환 기자
