KT who successfully demonstrated 5G network operation and 5G pilot service at the PyeongChang Olympic Games, held a press conference on March 22 and announced the world's first 5G commercialization in March 2019.

Mr. Sung-Mok Oh, the head of Network Division at KT, said that 5G commercialization means that 5G service is provided in cloud / AI-based network and mobile terminal.

5G commercialization in March 2019 is expected to begin with B2B services, and full-fledged B2C commercial terminals are expected to be available in 2Q.

The world's first 5G is 5G, which guarantees mobility through handover. It is intended to distinguish it from 5G by Verizon's Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), which is expected to be commercialized in the second half of 2018.

KT plans to evolve 5G from a simple network to a unified platform and to revitalize the 5G ecosystem through domestic and foreign cooperation on the 'KT 5G platform'.

KT has combined virtualization technology with 5G to evolve 5G as a '5G as a Platform'. The E2E Orchestrator, the network virtualization integrated control system, is the foundation for the 5G platform.

E2E Orchestrator is a system to manage 5G network quickly by connecting from terminal to base station and core equipment through virtualization. Different network requirements (data size, speed, delay time, etc.) must be satisfied for each service in order to connect 5G services such as autonomous navigation, realistic media, and IoT with different service characteristics.

With E2E Orchestrator, virtualized network equipment can be quickly reconfigured/changed according to service demand, enabling efficient network operation and providing various 5G services to users. Through E2E Orchestrator, KT can provide realistic media, smart factory, connected cars, and drones in a platform-like manner.

KT is developing Five network solutions for 5G commercialization in 2019. These are technologies for expanding service coverage and maximizing 5G network performance. The solution development has been completed to 80% level, and it is planned to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

5G slot-integrated structure - LTE has a delay of 4 ms for transmitting Ack signal after receiving data due to difference of upload and download frequency channels. The 5G integrated slot structure transmits the Ack signal at the same time as the data reception in the TDD scheme, so that the delay can be minimized.

5G-LTE interworking structure - In case of shadow area due to discontinuous coverage in initial 5G network, it automatically switches to LTE network and provides seamless service.

Intelligent multi-beam tracking solution - When the user terminal is disconnected from the main base station, the user can access the auxiliary base station and use 5G service seamlessly by grabbing the signal of the peripheral auxiliary base station in addition to the main base station.

In building solutions - 5G frequency is very high in transmission loss due to high frequency band frequency characteristics. KT secures 5G quality by using 5G repeater in offices, premises, underground parking lots, and other buildings.

AI-based network optimization solution - 5G network optimization technology with remote and automation functions. For example, when performing antenna optimization, an engineer is stationed on the LTE site. In 5G, antenna direction and angle are optimized remotely.