KT has developed the world’s first satellite-utilizing broadband long term evolution(LTE) technology. Satellite LTE had been applied for the first time in our country to Baengnyeongdo, the northernmost point of the West Sea.

LTE service and data communication is available even in an urgent, disastrous situation when communications equipments such as optical fiber cables, microwaves(MW), etc. are destroyed. Technology export to the global market is also expected.

KT built a ‘Giga Island’ in Incheon City and Baengnyeong Island, Ongjin-gun, Incheon on March 17th. For the way satellite broadband LTE is connected, satellite dish antennas set up in each region are connected to the satellite broadband LTE center(Geumsan Satellite Center) via Koreasat Mugunghwa 5. KT had a demonstration event this day, connecting realtime Baengnyeongdo and the Jang Bo-go Antarctic Research Station via satellite and MW network.

Since last year, KT is building giga infrastructure all around the country’s island areas. Baengnyeongdo is the third region after Imjado, Sinamgun, Jeollanam-do and Daesungdong Elementary School in Paju, Gyeonggi-do.

Instead of using optical fiber cables that are generally used to provide giga service, KT applied the giga MW system to Baengnyeongdo. This is because the West Sea is shallow and has a wide tidal range, which makes it difficult to operate·manage optical fiber cables. This is the first commercialization of the giga MW system in Korea, and the fifth in the world.

KT raised the speed of broadband LTE-A from 134Mbps to 210Mbps in order to provide giga service in Baengnyeongdo, where sea fog appears frequently. The speed of giga Internet was improved from 82Mbps to 574Mbps. They are planning to build a 100% giga infrastructure for all 437 domestic island regions until 2019.

Oh, Seong-mok, vice chairman of KT network, said, “Two routes of giga MW network via Deokjeokdo and Yeonpyeongdo have been established in Baengnyeongdo. Since satellite broadband LTE technology has been applied for the first time, the communications network can be safely maintained even when the MW network is destroyed in disastrous situations.”

Vice chairman Oh said, “The transmission coverage of Koreasat Mugunghwa 5 reaches not only the Korean Peninsula, but also Japan, Phillipines, Taiwan, and Eastern China,” assessing that “taking into account that Koreasat Mugunghwa 7 will be launched in 2017 to make coverage throughout Asia, we have established a foothold to spread our LTE technology in the global market through this.”

KT is to make a trial application of the ‘4 Antenna(4TAR)’ technology developed jointly with Samsung Electronics to the five West Sea islands. Using this technology, the antenna coverage can be expanded up to 150%(maximum length 120 km) by enhancing the frequency efficiency of the existing technology.

A KT official said, “4T4R allows the stable implementation of LTE communication in distant seas without any separate relay equipments. Data transmitting speeds can be doubled.”

On this day, KT introduced the major information and communications technology(ICT) that was implemented and declared ‘Baengnyeong Giga Island.’ There are six technologies including LTE video·audio wireless service, 4T4R, healthcare, mobile checkup, Olleh CCTV, and shelter video connection solution.

Vice chairman Oh said, “KT has the triple giga solution—optical fiber cables of 670 thousand km, 386 local MW networks, and satellites,” and emphasized that they “will provide the perfect communication service even in disaster areas.”