The openness of 5G fronthaul standards is expected to facilitate market entry for small and medium-sized enterprises.

A core 5G technology developed by SK Telecom has been adopted as a standard by the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA). This technology is Fronthaul technology, which is referred to as the "capillaries of 5G communication."

A 5G base station is divided into a Central Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) containing antennas. Major digital devices are collected and processed in the Central Unit, while the Distributed Units are distributed across service areas such as buildings. Since the Central Unit is concentrated in one location, service quality management and maintenance are facilitated. The wired network connecting the Central Unit and the Distributed Units is called the fronthaul.

Compared to LTE, 5G requires not only a denser network of base stations but also a larger volume of data to accommodate. Consequently, the importance of fronthaul, which receives wireless data signals at the customer interface and transmits them to a central unit, is being highlighted.

The most significant feature of the 5G fronthaul specification developed by SK Telecom is its openness. Since no standard specification was established for LTE fronthaul, separate specifications have been used by major telecommunications equipment manufacturers. As a result, small and medium-sized enterprises and startups have struggled to enter the market.

With SK Telecom's open 5G fronthaul technology being adopted as a domestic standard, the participation of small and medium-sized equipment manufacturers in the 5G ecosystem is expected to be boosted.

SK Telecom plans to actively pursue equipment development in collaboration with domestic small and medium-sized equipment manufacturers based on the fronthaul specifications adopted as a standard by TTA. In addition, it plans to continue cooperation both domestically and internationally to ensure adoption by the international standards organization 3GPP.

Park Jin-hyo, Head of Network Technology at SK Telecom, said, “In the 5G era, where data transmission capacity increases and the number of services surges, fronthaul standards based on openness are essential,” adding, “We will revitalize the 5G ecosystem together with domestic SMEs and startups.”