SKT Introduces Korean Open RAN Equipment and Technology on Global Stage... Leading Future Networks

Researchers from SK Telecom and participating companies conducting Open RAN-related tests for PlugFest at the SK Telecom Bundang office building. Photo by SKT

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] SK Telecom announced on the 15th that it participated as a host company in the ‘PlugFest’ event organized by the O-RAN Alliance and presented various demonstration results of base station equipment complying with O-RAN standards together with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), HFR, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Intel, and Keysight Technologies.

SK Telecom is a member of the global open radio access network (Open RAN) alliance, O-RAN Alliance, and has led the advancement of related technologies by reflecting the Korean Information and Communications Technology Association (TTA) standards in the Open RAN-based open 5G base station standard and announcing Open RAN development achievements earlier this year at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022.

The ‘PlugFest’ event that SKT participated in this time is a global Open RAN demonstration event where member companies share test results on openness, interoperability, and functionality of base station devices and solutions that comply with O-RAN Alliance standards to expand the Open RAN ecosystem.

SKT became the first domestic company to publicly disclose detailed results of standard conformance tests and field tests for Open RAN Central Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), and Radio Unit (RU) through the ‘PlugFest’ event. Notably, this is the first case of presenting test results using Open RAN base stations from a domestic mid-sized company rather than a large corporation.

The company explained that this research and demonstration are significant in that mobile carriers closely collaborated with government-funded research institutes, domestic base station manufacturers, and global information and communications technology (ICT) companies to prove the technological capabilities of domestically produced Open RAN equipment and to raise the influence of domestic operators in the Open RAN ecosystem, which has been led by large global companies. It is also noteworthy that Open RAN equipment achieved performance levels comparable to existing equipment not only in laboratory environments but also in field tests, thereby elevating domestic Open RAN technology to the next level.

Collaboration among ETRI, Domestic Manufacturers, and Global Companies... Leading the 6G Ecosystem

SKT conducted extensive demonstrations of RU, DU, and CU that constitute 5G Open RAN based on the test procedures defined by the O-RAN Alliance standards.

In particular, it successfully carried out demonstrations considering various service environments, including demonstrations of domestically produced Open RAN 5G base station systems, standard conformance and compatibility tests for Open RAN RUs and virtualized Open RAN CUs and DUs, and Open RAN communication tests in indoor environments.

The demonstration work was conducted at SK Telecom’s Bundang office Open RAN test lab and was carried out through a joint effort between domestic researchers and global technology company researchers. ETRI and HFR were responsible for conformance testing and Open RAN equipment respectively, Keysight handled the essential measurement equipment such as RU, DU, and UE emulators for Open RAN conformance testing, Hewlett Packard Enterprise provided general-purpose servers used in virtualized base stations, and Intel was responsible for accelerators and processors essential for base station virtualization.

SKT continues related research to lead the Open RAN ecosystem, which is a core technology for the evolution of 5G services and the foundation of networks in the 6G era. It is expanding its role as a co-chair company in the ‘6G Requirements and Services’ sector of the O-RAN Alliance’s next-generation research group (nGRG·6G Open RAN Research Group) and actively participates in related global collaborations.

To this end, SKT plans to broaden the base and lead the development and differentiation of Open RAN technologies through technologies such as intelligent base station control devices, Open RAN-based cloud-specialized functions, and interworking technologies between DUs and RUs from different manufacturers in various combinations.

Ryu Tak-gi, head of SK Telecom’s Infrastructure Technology Division, said, “We plan to continuously pursue technological collaboration so that domestic and international companies can seize growth opportunities in the Open RAN ecosystem, which is essential for 5G advancement and 6G evolution.”

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