KT Publishes '5G Evolution White Paper' with Global Telecom Operators

KT Proposes Various 5G Evolution Technologies Based on the World's First 5G Commercial Experience
Presents Future Vision of 5G Core Technology Development and AI, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Application Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] KT announced on the 23rd that it has published the "White Paper on 5G Evolution," which outlines the future of 5G, including the direction of 5G technology development and the creation of new application services, in collaboration with members of the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI).

The 5G Evolution White Paper was published to coincide with the GTI Summit, a partner program of MWC Shanghai 2021, held over three days from the 23rd to the 25th in Shanghai, China. GTI includes 139 global mobile network operators such as KT, a standing and operating committee member, Vodafone, SoftBank, China Mobile, NTT Docomo, KDDI, and Bharti Airtel.

KT explained that the 5G Evolution White Paper is significant because "KT has proposed directions such as AI application, maximizing frequency utilization, and integration with satellite communications based on its experience as the world's first to commercialize 5G."

The white paper also covers the development directions of core 5G technologies, including uplink speed improvements and enhanced ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) as 5G technology advances from its initial commercialization phase to an intermediate stage, as well as the potential use of bandwidth above 52.6 GHz to overcome the limitations of existing 5G frequency bands.

Additionally, it introduces key technological conditions for new growth industries such as AI-applied networks, indoor coverage enhancement technologies, object tracking methods based on high-precision indoor positioning, wearables, healthcare, smart logistics, and smart cities. In particular, it presents future visions of 5G evolution including satellite communications, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), air-to-ground integrated communications (ATG), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and bidirectional integrated extended reality (XR) mobile communications.

Moreover, the white paper reviews how 5G successfully settled and steadily increased subscribers despite the global turmoil caused by COVID-19, as well as the efforts of member companies to discover new business opportunities.

Jong-sik Lee, Director of KT Infrastructure Research Center, said, "Through the 5G Evolution White Paper, we can see various future scenarios brought about by the advancement of 5G technology," adding, "KT will continue to drive innovation as a digital platform company through its experience as the world's first to commercialize 5G and its evolved 5G technologies."

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