• New cost-efficient 5G repeater capable of transmitting signals via coaxial cable 
• To help 5G ecosystem to expand through technological cooperation with a local small and medium-size enterprise (SME)
• Indoor 5G services powered by 5G repeater to be released in 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Game

KT announced on the 9th that it, in cooperation with a local SME, successfully conducted a demonstration of a '5G repeater' that can give excellent 5G coverage inside of buildings in a very cost-efficient way.

Millimeter Wave (mmWave), one of the strongest candidates for 5G mobile service, has poor penetration through walls, resulting in relatively poor speed quality in areas like insides of buildings, underground areas, and underground parking garages. So, 5G repeater is essential to address this issue.  

The demonstration conducted in KT's 5G R&D Center was held to prove the technological aspects of 5G repeater and see if it can offer 5G service by sharing the existing LTE repeater cables inside buildings. The new repeater is known to be able to instantly offer 5G service without the need of installing or layering new cables, allowing the operator to provide indoor 5G service faster and more efficiently compared to its competitors.

LTE so far has only been able to support coverage by using repeaters that transmit LTE signals through coaxial cables installed in buildings. 5G service could not be provided through the same coaxial cables because it requires frequency bands above dozens of GHz. But now with the 5G repeater solution that converts frequency bands of 5G signals and transmits the signals through coaxial cables, allowing for 5G in-building service provision, KT can have competitive advantage in quality and coverage.    

KT aims to accelerate the expansion of 5G ecosystem in the nation through mutual cooperation with SMEs and offer this 5G repeater-driven indoor 5G service in the coming Winter Olympic event.

Dongmyun Lee, the head of the Institute of Convergence Technology at KT said "The successful demonstration was the fruit of our vigorous R&D activities in 5G." He added "We will continue to stay committed to develop innovative 5G solutions faster than our competitors, and to present the best 5G solutions that give satisfying performance in terms of coverage, quality and speed."