On April 26, SK Telecom (SKT), the largest mobile carrier in South Korea, unveiled an LTE-based high-speed wireless communications technology, which enables high-speed data communication for ships as far as 100km offshore.
SKT also presented an ICT maritime safety solution based on the LTE-based high-speed wireless communication technology.
The maritime communications technology facilitates video communication between ships at sea and land-based safety centers by utilizing an LTE router (which collects signals sent from various devices installed on a ship to safety centers on land) and radio access network (RAN) sharing technology (which allows for two or more mobile operators to share their wireless infrastructure).
There has been an improvement in LTE maritime communications coverage. The technology enables reaching out to ships up to 100 kilometers off the coast. SKT tested this technology in March and it was successful.
An LTE router installed on a ship is connected with marine equipment and smartphones in a wireless/wired manner and enables LTE communication between ships at sea and safety centers on land. The performance of its built-in antenna has been improved to expand LTE maritime communications coverage.
RAN (Radio Access Network) sharing refers to a technology that gets rid of radio-frequency interference (RFI) and enables connections between different networks by allowing one base station to simultaneously process two services. This technology is used to make maritime safety networks interoperate with PS-LTE, a nationwide public safety LTE network.
