KT-KT SAT Succeeds in World's First 5G NTN Satellite Communication "Expanding Services to Aviation Beyond Ground Limits in the 6G Era"

2024-09-30

As communication technology has evolved, efforts have been made to expand the areas in which communication is possible. In the 6G era, communication coverage is expected to expand beyond the limits of the ground to the three-dimensional aerial domain. In preparation for this, KT has secured a technology that interacts with KT SAT's satellites with 5G NTN.

KT (CEO Kim Young-seop) and KT SAT (CEO Seo Young-so) announced on the 30th that they have succeeded in securing the technology to link the 5G network on the ground with the 5G satellite (KOREASAT 6) located at an orbital altitude of 35,800km with the 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) standard with satellite communication partners.

This is the world's first case in which the 5G NTN standard has been applied to a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. The test was carried out at KT SAT's Geumsan Satellite Center in cooperation with KT and KT SAT, as well as Rohde & Schwarz Korea and VIABI Solutions Korea.

5G NTN is a standard technology that dramatically expands 5G coverage by using satellites instead of ground-based base stations. The technology was defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Releases 17 (Release 17 is the 17th mobile communications standard developed by 3GPP) and was finalized in 2022.

With 5G NTN, data transmission speeds are slower than those of 5G networks on the ground, but services are also provided in places with coverage gaps such as sea, air, and mountainous areas. By leveraging the easy connection between the existing 5G network and 5G NTN, it is possible to provide seamless service to customers.

The core technology of satellite communication is to precisely handle the propagation delay caused by long distances and the frequency change caused by the movement of the satellite (Doppler effort). In the course of this test, KT implemented a technology that accurately compensates for the long latency at a distance of about 35,800 km with 5G NTN technology.

KT said that 5G NTN is a technology that can bring about new changes in the telecommunications industry, and that 5G NTN is needed to connect and protect billions of people and things, as well as business opportunities.

Meanwhile, KT is working on a standard for 5G NTN to partially replace the 5G network on the ground in 3GPP Release 19, and as soon as the standard is completed, KT will verify the technology through interworking tests.

In addition to geostationary satellites used in the technology acquisition process, KT plans to secure NTN technology that works with various aerospace communication platforms such as Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and high altitude platform stations (HAPS) supported by the 3GPP 5G NTN standard.

Taehoon Kim, CEO of Rohde & Schwarz Korea, said, "NTN is one of the core technologies of 5G and future 6G, and it is a technology that uses satellites to extend terrestrial communication networks to various spaces such as sea and air. We are delighted to be able to bring the expertise and innovation of Rohde & Schwarz Korea together in this technology validation to ensure the smooth operation of NTN services and the user experience based on 3GPP standards."

"First of all, we are very happy that VIABI Solutions Korea will be able to participate in KT's 5G NTN project," said Seo Beom-seok, President of BIABI Solutions Korea.

Lee Jong-sik, Senior Vice President of KT Network Research Center, said, "NTN technology, which has begun to be defined in the 5G Advanced standard, will become the core technology of 6G in the future" and added, "In the 6G era, communication coverage will expand beyond the limits of the ground to the 3D aerial domain, opening a truly ubiquitous communication era."