SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) is showcasing its latest 5G system including radio, core and device at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016.

- SK Telecom showcases 5G System

Together with NOKIA, SK Telecom demonstrated live 20.5 Gbps transmission speed over the air being held in Barcelona, Spain. Standing at a point where 5G standardization and technology development are taking off, the successful demonstration of 20.5 Gbps is a meaningful achievement as it meets the performance requirement of 5G set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In October 2015, SK Telecom and Nokia achieved 19.1Gbps transmission speed over the air using 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), 8x8 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) transmission and 400 MHz of bandwidth.

The two companies explained that they were able to further improve the speed by improving the ‘Channel Coding’ technology – which adds extra data bits to make the transmission of data more robust to disturbances on the wireless transmission.

SK Telecom has already achieved 25 Gbps transmission speed over the air with Ericsson earlier this month in Stockholm, Sweden. But the company said that it is the first time to bring out the ‘real 5G’ speed out of the lab to the public.

Supported by the ultra-fast speed, SK Telecom demonstrated at MWC a ‘3D hologram’ service, which will likely become widely used in the 5G era. The commercialization of a network infrastructure (5G) capable of transmitting massive amount of data will bring innovative changes to customers’ experience through realistic/immersive multimedia services including 3D hologram, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).

Moreover, together with Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom demonstrated ‘Millimeter Wave (mmWave) Handover’ technology that can seamlessly provide 5G services in multi-cell environment.

Along with the world’s fastest wireless data transmission speeds, SK Telecom also demonstrated 5G network slicing core network and a 5G device prototype to display its technological capability for building an end-to-end 5G system.

SK Telecom demonstrated network slicing, a technology it is developing in close collaboration with Ericsson. Network slicing is being regarded as a key technology for the 5G core network infrastructure as it enables a single physical network to be portioned into multiple virtual mobile networks to offer optimal support for many different types of services.

Moreover, considering that the development of a handset capable of supporting all network systems including the 5G network is necessary to commercialize 5G, SK Telecom has been working with Intel on their 5G mobile trial platform that not only supports below 6GHz frequency bands but also above 6GHz frequency bands. The two companies unveiled the 5G platform prototype for the first time at MWC 2016, and demonstrated up to 1.5Gbps transmission from base station to device. They plan to work with global telecommunication equipment manufacturers (TEM) to collaborate on Interoperability Device Test (IODT) between device and base station.

- SK Telecom participates in MWC conferences to share its 5G vision and strategy

Meanwhile, Alex Jinsung Choi, CTO of SK Telecom will be attending two conference sessions - “5G: Creating Value for Consumers” (Monday Feb 22, 11:00) and “5G: Creating Value for Industry” (Tuesday, Feb 23, 11:00) – during the MWC event to present and discuss the values of 5G.

SK Telecom projects that the 5G network will play a crucial role as an infrastructure that drives innovations in its next-generation platforms to cultivate future growth. At present, SK Telecom is going beyond the traditional telecommunications industry, transforming itself into a next-generation platform company. Moving a step forward from providing communication services centered on voice and data, it is now focusing on adding value to customers’ lifestyle by offering innovative ICT converged services.

To secure the perfect infrastructure to support innovations in its next-generation platforms, SK Telecom will ▲deploy 5G networks ▲ develop futuristic services in cooperation with global ICT leaders, and ▲ foster a global ecosystem. Then, building on this, the company will make aggressive efforts to launch the world’s first 5G trial in 2017.

To this end, in October 2015, SK Telecom has opened ‘5G Playground,’ an integrated 5G Global Innovation Center for 5G, at its Corporate R&D Center located in Bundang, Korea. At ‘5G Testbed,’ created within the center, SK Telecom is actively developing diverse 5G technologies and use cases with leading players around the globe.

“Speed is not everything when it comes to 5G. We must think hard about what values 5G needs to bring to our customers. SK Telecom is making all-out efforts to develop 5G technologies that can bring greater convenience, safety and joy to our customers’ lives,” said Alex Jinsung Choi, the Chief Technology Officer of SK Telecom. “Moreover, 5G cannot be achieved through mere advancement of technology. Technologies, services and the ecosystem must all work in concert and develop in lockstep to achieve our vision. Thus, SK Telecom will thoroughly prepare for the 5G era in close cooperation with diverse partners to deliver new and innovative experience to customers.”