'Network Quality Improvement' KT Validates Long-Distance Fronthaul with Nokia

Direct Connection Between Central Office and Wireless Base Station

KT employees conducting LTE and 5G long-distance fronthaul tests in the Damyang area of Jeonnam. Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] KT announced on the 24th that it has successfully verified a 30km long-distance fronthaul in collaboration with telecommunications equipment manufacturer Nokia.

Fronthaul refers to the section between the Radio Unit (RU) installed at the wireless base station and the Distributed Unit (DU) installed at the regional office. The RU is a unit that processes high-frequency (RF) signals at the wireless base station, while the DU is a unit that processes digital data at the regional office. Generally, data collected by the RU antenna for wireless communication is transmitted to the DU via optical cables in the fronthaul.

Previously, fronthaul supported distances up to 20km, so if the distance exceeded 20km, operation of the wireless base station where the RU was installed was not possible. Therefore, LTE and 5G coverage have been provided through regional offices where DUs are installed to maintain the 20km fronthaul distance. If a wireless network failure occurred beyond this distance, there was a burden and time delay concern due to the need to dispatch personnel from the central office to the regional office for cause analysis.

With this technological development, KT can now directly connect the wireless base station from the central office to expand coverage. KT is the first in Korea to apply 30km long-distance fronthaul technology to commercial networks for both 5G and LTE. This technology is expected to enhance the centralization of DUs that process digital signals in the wireless network, enabling more efficient network investment and operation.

Lee Jong-sik, Head of the Infrastructure DX Research Lab at KT Convergence Technology Institute, said, “We will strive to build a network that simultaneously satisfies 5G coverage and quality and to conduct research and development on network architecture for the evolution to 6G.”

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