SK Telecom forum explores 5G status

Choi Jin-sung, CTO of SK Telecom, shows the 5G-networked humanoid robot that debuted at the Mobile World Congress in February on Tuesday. [NEWSIS]

As smartphone users opt for faster connectivity, carriers are busy developing the latest wireless technology.

SK Telecom, the nation’s top carrier, held a forum on Tuesday to discuss the status of 5G and demonstrate next-generation wireless data technology. Faster 5G is capable of handling a larger number of devices, although the advanced network won’t be available until 2020.

The forum was attended by more than 400 people, including developers, representatives of start-ups and technology companies, and academics.

“SK Telecom is committed to providing unique 5G customer services in order to enable innovation in the customer experience that goes far beyond technological innovation,” said CEO Jang Dong-hyun at opening the event. “We will continue to support small and medium-sized businesses and developers to help them create new opportunities through 5G, which in turn will add value to the customer experience.”

Paik Joon-ki, a professor at Chung-Ang University, predicted the 5G world will further shatter time and space constraints.

Choi Jin-sung, chief technical officer of SK Telecom, talked about how the carrier will manage the network, saying, “We will install a test bed for 5G technology at our lab in Bundang.”

Panel discussion participants included Cho Bong-Youl of Nokia Networks, CTO Magnus Ewerbring of Ericsson and Thomas Sennhauser, CTO of Enterprise Group APJ at HP.

Samsung Electronics Manager Namgoong Ju also weighed in, discussing how the company will develop virtual reality technology powered by the advanced network.

Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom reached a memorandum of understanding this year to cooperate in five key next-generation technologies, including 5G connectivity.

The telecom company used the forum to showcase its 5G-networked humanoid robot.

Having made its debut at Mobile World Congress 2015, the robot can move more nimbly with the 5G network thanks to reduced latency.

Latency refers to the time it takes for a data packet to go from one point to another. The lower the latency, the faster data exchange.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]