KT tests 5G flying taxi communication network

KT employees check the 5G air communication network for urban air mobility set up at the Goheung Aviation Test Center in South Jeolla. [KT]

KT conducted a performance verification test of its 5G air communication network for flying taxis, the company said Wednesday.

The 5G air communication network is the first of its kind set up by a local telecom company.

The network was placed at the Goheung Aviation Test Center in South Jeolla, and will be utilized for the first-stage test operation of the K-UAM Grand Challenge project.

K-UAM Grand Challenge is a government-led project to have urban air mobility (UAM), or flying taxis, operating on a commercial basis by 2025. Four consortia submitted initial proposals for the project in May, and the participants for the first-stage demonstration flight will be announced in November. All three telecom companies in Korea formed consortium for the project.

KT set up a consortium with Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the Incheon International Airport Corporation in Sept. 2020.

KT said that it will make its air communication network available to not only the K-UAM consortium but also small- and mid-sized UAM vehicle suppliers and service operators.

KT expects its air communication network to offer stable 5G connectivity at altitudes ranging from 300 meters (984 feet) to 600 meters. A three-dimensional network coverage optimization and network slicing technology to enable multiple networks to share a single physical network were adopted in the 5G air communication network, according to KT.

KT plans to adopt satellite communication and quantum cryptography communication technologies in the UAM infrastructure network to enhance security.

“The establishment of the air communication network is the first step to lead the UAM sector, which is being eyed as the future mobility,” said Lee Jong-sik, head of KT’s infrastructure digital transformation research institute. “KT will strengthen collaboration with members of the consortium and keep striving for the vitalization of local UAM sector.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]