SK Telecom announced that it signed a contract for the railway integrated wireless communication network (LTE-R) project with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Hanam Line (extension of Seoul Subway Line 5, Sangil-dong Station ~ Changwoo Station in Hanam City).

With this contract, SK Telecom will build LTE-R on the 7.725km section of the Hanam Line by the end of December 2020. This is the first contract to build LTE-R in the Seoul subway.

LTE-R is an LTE-based railway communication network that enables data communication, including video calls, on trains running at speeds of 350 km/h or more. It utilizes the 700 MHz frequency band.

SK Telecom plans to build a system that will immediately notify police stations, fire stations, etc. in the event of a disaster and allow control towers/locomotive engineers/station workers/maintenance personnel to make group calls.

In addition, SK Telecom plans to enable the control center and the driver to view the video inside the relevant car in case of an emergency on the train. In addition, it is developing a navigation system that will allow the driver to check the operation information of the relevant line, such as the trains ahead and behind, in real time.

Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Infrastructure Headquarters and Seoul Metro are planning to replace the aging communication networks of subway lines 5 and 2, starting with the Hanam Line, with LTE-R. All are scheduled to be announced for bid within this year.

SK Telecom Public Works Unit Director Choi Il-gyu said, “In order to effectively respond to disaster situations in the subway, it is essential to build LTE-R that is linked to the National Disaster and Safety Communication Network,” and “We will build a perfect LTE-R with the best mobile communications technology accumulated over the past 30 years.”