ETRI and Qualcomm Collaborate on 5G Small Cell Base Station Research

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 13th that it will conduct joint research with Qualcomm, which holds technology in the 5G chipset field, to develop 5G wireless access technology.

Since July 2018, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, ETRI has been carrying out a project to develop intelligent open small cell technology based on 5G wireless access (NR) together with SK Telecom, Contela, Ucast, and others. A 5G small cell is a low-cost, low-power, compact mobile communication base station that provides the same functions as a base station but can offer 5G mobile communication services within a radius of 1 km. Due to the characteristics of 5G, when user communication traffic surges inside buildings or in densely populated areas, communication shadow zones occur, so it is important to install multiple small cells to secure coverage.

This technology can significantly increase user transmission capacity in buildings and densely populated areas. In line with the commercialization of 5G services, installing 5G small cells in areas where the radio characteristics of macro base stations are poor can increase the overall 5G capacity and expand the 5G service area.

The joint research between ETRI and Qualcomm plans to combine Qualcomm's 5G small cell modem technology with ETRI's 5G communication software (SW) technology to enhance the completeness to a commercialization level. Additionally, ETRI plans to transfer its 5G SW technology to domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies.

Kim Il-gyu, head of ETRI's Future Mobile Communications Research Division, said, "Millimeter-wave-based 5G small cell base station software is a condensation of 5G mobile communication technology," adding, "By utilizing South Korea, which realized the world's first commercialization of 5G, as a testbed, we can expect the emergence of strong SMEs and mid-sized companies in the 5G small cell base station market." Ha Jun-hong, head of the Innovation Network Team at the Ministry of Science and ICT, also predicted, "The localization of 5G small cell software through joint research with Qualcomm will lead to early localization of 5G small cell equipment, enabling domestic SMEs and mid-sized companies to enter the domestic and international 5G equipment markets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.