KT and SMEs Develop 5G Repeater··· Expanding 5G Ecosystem
Published2017.06.21 14:545G Repeater and Base Station Mutual Connection Enables Stable Data Transmission and Expanded Wireless Coverage
The 5G repeater successfully developed this time is a device developed to secure stable 5G service coverage even inside buildings, and has been jointly researched and developed by KT and SME partners since 2016.
When applying a digital optical repeater currently used in the 4G(LTE) environment to a 5G network, it is difficult for the 5G base station and terminal to connect normally due to delay time generated during the conversion process of analog (wireless) signals to digital signals, and given the 5G characteristic of utilizing a wide frequency bandwidth of several hundred MHz, the transmission capacity (bandwidth) of optical cables cannot accommodate the entire 5G data.
To overcome this, KT developed the 'Timing Advance' function in June 2017, which compensates for the delay time inevitably generated in existing repeaters at the 5G base station to ensure smooth data transmission, and introduced it in this 5G repeater.
Additionally, KT applied 'RoF (Radio over Fiber)' technology to transmit data directly through optical cables as optical signals without going through the process of converting analog wireless signals received from base stations to digital signals in order to transmit 5G data without omission.
KT conducted testing by achieving interoperability between the 5G repeater and the 5G base station developed by KT and Samsung Electronics while complying with 'PyeongChang 5G specifications (5G-SIG, 5G-Special Interest Group)'. A KT spokesperson explained that stable data transmission was possible when the 5G repeater and base station were mutually connected, and wide 5G service coverage was guaranteed even inside buildings.
The 5G repeater that successfully passed testing will be utilized as one of the key network equipment of the 5G pilot service to be showcased in PyeongChang in '18.
Going forward, KT plans to continue collaboration with SMEs for mutual prosperity in the process of preparing 5G services, similar to this 5G repeater development, and will actively support the expansion of the 5G ecosystem and SMEs' entry into and development of the global 5G market.
Seo Chang-seok, Executive Vice President of KT's Network Strategy Division, stated, "KT plans to secure various 5G repeater solutions to showcase successful 5G technology in PyeongChang in '18," and added, "We will continue to discover differentiated 5G technologies necessary for preempting the global 5G market and maintain collaboration with SMEs to enable commercialization."
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