ITU Finally Approves KT-Developed '5G Network Slice Orchestration' Standard
The first example of a 5G international standard managing virtualization and network slicing technology

KT announced on the 13th that its self-developed '5G network slice orchestration' standard has been finally approved as one of the 5G standards by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union).

'5G Network Slice Orchestration' is designed to efficiently manage 'network slices,' a core networking technology of 5G. It is a technology that enables the provision of high-quality 5G services tailored to the diverse needs of customers by simultaneously managing virtualized networks and existing wired networks for each service within a 5G communication network.

This standard was proposed as an international standard by KT, which took on the role of Standard Document Editor and developed it. After being approved at the 'ITU-T IMT-2020 Working Party' meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland last July, it was finally approved this time following circulation to all 193 member countries. As the final approval process was completed, the ITU assigned the official standard number 'ITU Standard Y.3110' to this standard in accordance with international standard management procedures.

In addition, 'ITU Standard Y.3111,' approved simultaneously on this day, was jointly developed by ETRI and KT and contains detailed procedures and a framework for '5G network slice orchestration.'

In order for 5G to stably provide various services, overall network operation management technology must be developed. In this regard, the recently approved '5G Network Slice Orchestration' standard contains advanced features that precede existing 5G technologies. It is expected that the application of this technology will significantly reduce construction and operating costs for telecommunication operators, as it will enable the simultaneous utilization of functions from both 5G networks and existing wired networks.

Meanwhile, the Korea ITU Research Committee under the National Radio Research Institute has been responding to international standardization trends by operating a special task force for IMT-2020 response since 2015, and has been strategically responding to Korea's ITU IMT-2020 international standardization activities by forming a national delegation including domestic experts from industry, academia, and research institutes and dispatching it to the ITU. In particular, at the World Telecommunication Standards Assembly (WTSA), it presented the direction for IMT-2020 international standardization to the ITU and secured a related resolution, thereby creating an opportunity for Korea to play a leading role in the field of 5G international standardization.

In addition, this standard was adopted as a standardization project by the 5G Special Technical Committee of TTA (Korea Information and Communications Technology Association) on September 6, 2017, and domestic standardization began. This is expected to provide technology implementation opportunities to domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that develop and supply network management solutions.

Jeon Hong-beom, Head of the Infrastructure Research Institute at KT's Convergence Technology Institute, said, "The successful international standardization of this 5G technology will serve as an opportunity to provide new customer experiences by utilizing 5G network slice orchestration technology."