SK Telecom used an in-building 5G relay repeater
operating in the 28 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands
Korean telecoms group SK Telecom announced the successful demonstration of essential technologies for 5G network communications in a real-world setting.
The Asian telco said that it is accelerating its research and development efforts in order to roll out 5G service earlier than expected.
SK Telecom used an in-building 5G relay repeater operating in both 28 GHz and 3.5 GHz
spectrum bands in the 5G trial network at the company’s Bundang office, in Seoul.
SK Telecom said that the in-building 5G relay repeater helps deliver seamless network connections in an indoor environment by transferring wireless signals to radio shadow areas.
The telco was able to deliver speeds of up to 4 Gbps using the in-building relay repeater SK Telecom jointly developed with HFR which operated in 28 GHz band.
The company has also worked with SK Telesys to develop an in-building relay repeater, which can deliver 5G radio signals in 3.5 GHz using the existing mobile communications infrastructure installed inside buildings.
With this demonstration, SK Telecom said it was able to develop its capabilities for 5G relay for both indoor and outdoor settings. In August, the company deployed a relay repeater in its 5G trial network near Gangnam Station in Seoul to successfully expand radio coverage in the densely populated urban area.
SK Telecom also demonstrated a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) video call using a tablet-sized device on the 5G network in collaboration with Samsung Electronics. During the demo, a user was able to enjoy a 360-degree VR video call real-time even while moving in the area surrounded by high-rise buildings.
The demonstration was performed in Seoul’s central business district. Both companies
implemented advanced technologies, including beamforming, optimal base-station positioning and network virtualization, to build a stable 5G trial network.
“The success of 5G wireless communications in the real-world environment will give us momentum to accelerate our effort to roll out 5G service earlier than expected,” said Park Jin-hyo, SVP and head of network technology R&D Center at SK Telecom.
