5G kickoff: “5G Champion” at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang Thales Alenia Space on the team for the 5G technology demonstration

February 20, 2018

5G communications technology is being showcased at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as part of “5G Champion”, a Horizon 2020 research project that is being financed by the European Commission, including Thales Alenia Space and partners CEA/LETI (electronics and IT lab) and Nokia.

Part of the demonstration entailed outfitting the buses that carry spectators between the different sites with 5G technology, along with screens showing very-high-quality 3D videos. Passengers also enjoyed very-high-speed connectivity, since the buses act as relays between the 5G network and a WiFi signal retransmitted inside the buses.

In addition to this demo, Thales Alenia Space is staking out a position as a pioneer in all initiatives designed to seamlessly integrate satellite communications in the 5G network infrastructure. The aim is of course to provide uninterrupted anytime, anywhere access to 5G service. Thales Alenia Space also offers all the key technologies needed to guarantee certifiability, or to ensure a positioning accuracy within a tenth of a meter for the geolocation services offered by 5G.

Thales Alenia Space is already developing the KASS satellite navigation system for the South Korean space agency KARI, on behalf of the Korean Ministry of Regional Development, Infrastructures and Transportation.

KASS will enable the country to enhance the positioning performance offered by GPS, with planned upgrades to ensure compatibility with the Galileo and Glonass satellite positioning systems. South Korea’s KASS system is initially aiming for aeronautical applications, including “Safety of Life” services, but it could also play a major role in the deployment of 5G geolocation services in South Korea.

The space segment adds value to the deployment of 5G by extending network coverage and transmission capacity. This will enable 5G networks to efficiently and reliably address the requirements of emerging users in the transportation (aviation, rail and maritime), logistics, media, leisure, security, education, healthcare and agriculture sectors.