In cooperation with SK Telecom, utilizing 4G and 5G networks before nationwide 5G network deployment

Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom have successfully demonstrated interworking between 4G and 5G mobile communications.

The successful communication seamlessly switching between 4G LTE using the 2.6GHz frequency band and 5G networks in the 28GHz and 3.5GHz frequency bands is a world first.

Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom recently established 4G and 5G base stations supporting different frequency bands and next-generation virtualized core networks at Euljiro in Seoul, and installed integrated terminals supporting both 4G and 5G in a vehicle to successfully demonstrate continuous communication service between the base station and terminal even during driving.

360-degree virtual reality live streaming was demonstrated between a moving vehicle and SK Telecom headquarters conference room, and clear, high-quality streaming was possible even when 4G and 5G communication technologies and frequency bands changed in the actual vehicle.

With this successful demonstration, we have confirmed that multi-RAT interworking between heterogeneous technologies and frequency bands, which is essential for 5G commercialization, can be applied to actual networks.

When interworking between heterogeneous technologies becomes possible, even if a nationwide 5G mobile communication network is not fully deployed, users will be able to use high-speed data communication services by moving between 4G and 5G networks.

Furthermore, when interworking between various 5G frequency bands becomes possible, not only millimeter-wave bands, which are advantageous for securing wider frequency bands, but also sub-6GHz bands, which are advantageous for network construction with wide coverage, can be simultaneously utilized for 5G technology.

For example, millimeter-wave can be utilized for augmented reality, virtual reality, and holograms that require high-volume data transmission of tens of gigabits, and sub-6GHz bands can be utilized for connected cars and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications.

Park Jin-hyo, Head of Network Technology at SK Telecom, stated, "5G will provide seamless, best-in-class communication services anywhere through interworking with 4G, which already has nationwide coverage, together with 3.5GHz base stations providing wide coverage and 28GHz bands enabling ultra-high-speed transmission. This demonstration is the world's first case of 5G/4G mutual interworking from a 5G service perspective, and SK Telecom will continue to focus on securing 5G commercial technologies in the future."

Park Dong-soo, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics' Network Business Division, stated, "Interworking between new mobile communication services and current mobile communication services is essential for service continuity and the emergence of new communication services. With the success of this demonstration conducted with SK Telecom, the adoption of 5G mobile communications will accelerate further."

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom constructed a virtualized network for this demonstration by configuring 4G LTE core equipment and 5G core equipment on general-purpose servers and connecting them with SDN technology. Additionally, they applied network slicing functionality to construct slices according to each technology and communication band, and verified technology for controlling service quality per slice.