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SK Telecom to Localize 5G Equipment
Published2017.08.10 11:58SK Telecom announced that it has jointly developed a "wireless 5G relay" repeater with domestic telecommunications equipment manufacturer KMW and applied it to the "5G test network" located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul for the first time in Korea.
The "5G relay" amplifies 5G wireless signals between base stations and terminals and transmits signals to service coverage gap areas. By utilizing this equipment, 5G service coverage gaps where signals cannot reach are eliminated, enabling dense 5G service throughout all areas.
The 28GHz band, a candidate 5G frequency, experiences rapid signal strength degradation during transmission due to its high frequency characteristics. Additionally, experts anticipate that service coverage gaps caused by radio wave obstacles such as buildings, glass, and trees will occur more frequently than before. Therefore, the "5G relay" is expected to significantly contribute to improving 5G communication service quality in densely populated urban areas.
The Gangnam area in Seoul is a building-dense region with many radio wave obstacles and experiences dense data traffic, making it the most challenging area for network design domestically. Following the successful application of 5G relay to the Gangnam 5G test network, SK Telecom anticipates that expanding its application to other urban areas will be relatively easier.
In particular, the "5G relay" repeater developed this time can be universally utilized for various manufacturers and 5G standards. When 5G network construction accelerates in the future, this equipment is expected to play a significant role in rapidly expanding 5G coverage.
SK Telecom is opening the "5G Innovation Center" within its Bundang headquarters to relevant partners to enable domestic innovative companies to participate in 5G technology development, and is supporting them to test core technologies in the "Gangnam 5G test network." Beyond this "5G relay," SK Telecom is pursuing joint projects with several domestic innovative companies.
SK Telecom plans to continuously advance 5G technology localization by collaborating with various domestic small and medium-sized enterprises participating in the 5G Global Innovation Center. SK Telecom has recently confirmed the cooperation intent of approximately 30 companies, including domestic innovative enterprises, in the request for proposals for 5G communication equipment procurement.
Park Jin-hyo, head of SK Telecom's Network Technology Institute, stated, "We are sequentially applying core 5G technologies we developed in the Gangnam area where the most data traffic is generated, and moving closer to 5G commercialization," and added, "We will lead the way in creating an ecosystem where domestic small and medium-sized enterprises can thrive in the 5G era."
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