As operators continue to extend their 5G coverage, a key challenge they face is the space and footprint restrictions at sites and on towers. Samsung’s all-in-one radio will address varied environmental and site demands–easing installation, saving space and reducing OPEX for operators. The new solution will become part of Samsung’s Radio Access Network (RAN) portfolio in early 2022, initially targeting the European market.

Key benefits of Samsung’s One Antenna Radio are:

• Site Simplification: The streamlined solution uses compact hardware to blend into a municipality’s environment, and reduces cabling and hardware elements to minimize visual impact in dense urban areas.
• Simplified Installation: Deployment is made simple by eliminating the need to install and connect radios and multiple antennas separately, accelerating installation and reducing labor costs.
• OPEX Savings: By requiring less space on sites or towers, and with a smaller footprint, operators can save on expenses, including rental and maintenance costs.

“We are proud to introduce our One Antenna Radio to provide industry-leading performance that’s designed to address various deployment environments,” said Wonil Roh, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Recognizing that mounting hardware, cabling, crew site time and space limitations are a challenge for most operators, we created a solution to help tackle this issue, and expand deployment boundaries.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

The trial, which took place in Samsung’s R&D center in Suwon, was comprised of Samsung’s 5G virtualized core, virtualized RAN, Distributed Unit (baseband unit and radio unit) and test device that are based on the 3GPP NR standards elements established to date. The 3GPP Release 15 standard is expected to be completed around the end of 2017, and to date, technologies such as numerology, frame structure and channel coding have been defined in the 3GPP NR specification.

Results achieved today were speeds over 1 Gbps and low latency of 1.2 millisecond. The ultra-low latency was made achievable by reducing the Transmission Time Interval (TTI) down to 0.25 millisecond, which relative to today’s 4G LTE networks is one fourth the time. In addition to the latency improvements, while 20MHz is the maximum channel bandwidth for LTE, a wide channel bandwidth up to 80MHz was used to make consistent gigabit performance possible at today’s trial.

“SK Telecom has successfully acquired all the essential technologies necessary for 5G commercialization using 3.5GHz and 28GHz frequencies, made possible through joint efforts with Samsung,” said Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center of SK Telecom. “We will maintain our leadership in 5G by taking initiative in 5G NR standardization and commercialization.”

“We achieved another milestone today, taking 5G in to the sub-6GHz spectrum for use cases and applications requiring wider area network coverage. The below 6GHz spectrum has been identified by the industry as ideal for enabling 5G services such as autonomous/connected car that require a wider area network,” said Dongsoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing Team in Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “Today’s trial with SK Telecom serves as a significant development in our collaborative efforts to accelerate 5G commercialization.”

Samsung’s virtualized solutions played a significant part in the trial’s success, representing the flexible nature of next generation networks. New applications and functions for unprecedented services can be deployed with Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). In addition to efficiency and cost-savings, network virtualization will provide operators with a real-time, ultra-low latency platform for new communication services.

SK Telecom and Samsung have been jointly exploring and studying the different frequencies optimal for 5G communications. 28GHz, one of the ultra-high frequencies, enables the transmission of large volume data like high definition videos at super-fast speed thanks to its wide bandwidth availability up to 3GHz. On the other hand, 3.5GHz, one of the below 6GHz frequencies, promises a wider and more stable coverage. In accordance to this, the two companies will continue their joint efforts to create unprecedented services that are optimized to the distinct traits of 28GHz and 3.5GHz frequencies, as well as next generation network architecture.

For further information on joint efforts in 5G field trials @ 28GHz, please visit here.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea by both revenue and number of subscribers. As of March 2017, the company holds around 50 percent of the Korean market. SK Telecom has led the advancement of mobile technologies ranging from 2G to 4G, and is currently setting important milestones in its journey to 5G. The company is not only leading innovation in the field of mobile network, but also providing IoT, media, home and platform services. SK Telecom is determined to play a significant role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by achieving innovations and promoting shared growth with other players in the industry. For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com