SK Telecom announced that it had successfully tested its Milimeter Wave technology for 5G at 28 GHz in the outdoor environment in partnership with Samsung Electronins. The test system includes transmitter, receiver and antenna technologies designed to effectively transmit radio signals in the 28GHz band and as well as 3D beamforming.
The 3D beamforming is the key technology that compensates radio propagation path loss in the higher frequency bands caused by the short wavelengths of millimeter waves and high atmospheric attenuation. 3D beamforming is a technique that improves the system performance by steering the antenna beam in both horizontal and vertical domains for a clear propagation path to the targeted user.
SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics built the millimeter wave system for 5G in August last year, and have been conducting field tests using outdoor 5G base stations and a vehicle equipped with a 5G test handset since last October to measure and analyze service quality in the field – i.e. service coverage, transmission speed, latency and radio wave/signal strength.
SK Telecom said that the test results will be an important asset for building an enhanced 5G system, including its 5G pilot networks scheduled to be built within the end of this year.
Cheun Kyung-whoon, EVP and Head of Communications Research Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics
Samsung will prove the feasibility of key technologies with SK Telecom. This strategic collaboration will lead to the early adoption of 5G communications and provision of immersive service experience to end-users.
Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center of SK Telecom
Building on its extensive experience and capabilities acquired over the last three decades in the field of mobile telecommunications, SK Telecom is set to maintain its leadership in the 5G era by leading the development of 5G technologies and services.
