KT has officially announced the commercialization of its fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications service.
KT (CEO Hwang Chang-Gyu) held a press conference at KT Square in Gwanghwamun, Jongro-gu, Seoul on the 22nd to celebrate the company’s successful operations of the conference and broadcasting networks at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games. He also announced that the company will commence commercialization of 5G service in March 2019 based on their experience operating the world’s first 5G network during the Winter Olympics.
KT announced in 2015 that it would introduce the world’s first 5G pilot service at the “Mobile World Congress (MWC).” Hence, KT plans to implement a variety of 5G services in March next year based on its experience in piloting the 5G network during the recent Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
KT first incorporated virtualization technology into 5G in order to create an “Integrated platform (5G as a Platform)” that transforms industries and people lives. KT’s network virtualization control system “E2E Orchestrator” is expected to play an important role in the development of the 5G platform.
E2E Orchestrator is a system that provides rapid management of the 5G networks by connecting the terminal to the base station and then to the core via virtualization. Connecting 5G services such as autonomous navigation, realistic media, and the Internet of Things (IoT) involves a variety of network requirements such as data, size, speed, and latency depending on the service purpose and characteristics.
E2E Orchestrator enables efficient network operations and makes available various 5G services by rapidly changing network virtualization equipment according to service demand. KT plans to freely implement 5G services such as Connected Cars, 5G factories, and drones in a platform form.
KT enacted the “Pyeongchang 5G Standard” for the world’s first 5G pilot service with global companies such as Samsung Electronics and Intel. This is significant in that many telecom-related companies participated in providing 5G services even before international standards were established.
The “5G Open Lab,” introduced at the KT Research and Development Center in Seocho District, is a Research and Development (R&D) space where domestic ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) operators are able to develop ideas and technologies based on the Pyeongchang 5G pilot service network infrastructure.
The 5G Open Lab will be open to ICT companies that have applied for entrance as well as to the 5G Eco Alliance, which consists of 104 small to medium-sized venture companies with various fields, including real-time media (AR∙VR), mobile terminals, connected cars, smart cities, security, drones, and 5G equipment.
KT is developing a “5G network solution” to fully commercialize 5G with accumulated technologies and know-how. The “5G network solution” is a solution to optimize the system based on 5G integrated structure, 5G-LTE interworking structure, intelligent multi-beam tracking solution, in-building solution, and Artificial Intelligence based network optimization.
“KT promises to complete its 5G technology and additional solutions to showcase the perfect 5G service to people in March 2019,” said Oh Sung-mok, President of KT network division.
