Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics and compatriot carrier KT announced the a new partnership to deploy what the companies claim is the world’s first Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) service through a public safety LTE (PS-LTE) network, Samsung said in a release.
The NB-IoT service is a contract expansion between the two partners, which have worked together on two other PS-LTE projects. Those previous projects were what was said to be the world’s first PS-LTE network throughout the Gangwon (Pyeongchang) province of South Korea, using 70 0MHz and based on the 3GPP standard in 2016, and the 2017 delivery of LTE-Railway service on a high-speed train traveling at up to 250 km/hour (155 mph) using mission-critical push-to-talk solutions.
The two companies are now aiming to expand the PS-LTE network further into the metropolitan areas around the country, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Jeolla, Gyeongbuk and Chungnam provinces. The new contract seeks to to provide the PS-LTE network solutions based on 3GPP’s Release 13 for 10 major metropolitan regions in South Korea, including Seoul, by 2020.
Samsung said that NB-IoT will be applied to the public safety network “to help prevent natural disasters like fires” via the use of IoT sensors that can detect “even the smallest size of embers,” or can be used to help locate people who have been stranded in remote areas of mountains where visibility is difficult.
“Samsung is honoured to take part in this important mission with KT by providing PS-LTE solutions that will ensure seamless and stable connectivity across the nation,” said GY Seo, SVP and head of global sales and marketing for the networks business at Samsung Electronics.
“By acquiring innovative wireless communications from Samsung, we are able to aid in life-threatening situations where data traffic is severely congested or connection is completely out of reach,” said Yoon-Young Park, senior EVP and head of KT’s Enterprise Business Group. “These first-of their-kind networks help responders connect with those in need.”
In addition to LTE radio base stations that support 700 MHz, Samsung is providing KT with a virtualized core and the latest features of PS-LTE based on the 3GPP standard. Some of the key features include MCPTT solutions, Radio Access Network sharing, evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service, Public Network IoT based on NB-IoT, Isolated eUTRAN Operation for Public Safety (IOPS), and device-to-device (D2D) network solutions.
Samsung highlighted that D2D and NB-IoT play crucial roles in creating public safety network by ensuring stable, seamless, and reliable network in unfavorable environments. For instance, D2D allows direct and undisrupted communications between any two devices without traversing radio base stations or core network even in areas where bases stations are not provided.
