KT develops new technology to maximize performance and efficiency of 5G radio repeaters

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 18, 2019, 12:52 Updated : September 18, 2019, 12:52

[Courtesy of KT]

SEOUL -- KT, South Korea's largest telecom company, has developed a new technology that would boost the performance and efficiency of RF repeaters to increase the 5G coverage inside buildings and underground structures such as shopping malls.

An RF repeater is a combination of a radio receiver and a radio transmitter. In mobile communications, the device is used as an automatic relay station to connect a base station to another which is out of normal radio range, creating a web of mobile data networks. The coverage of base stations is greatly reduced inside buildings because of walls blocking radio signals.

KT said in a statement on Wednesday that it has developed "smart beam pattern synchronization technology", which can extract accurate synchronization signals without complicated electronic parts or hardware. KT commercialized the technology and applied it to RF repeaters.

The telecom company plans to establish a nationwide 5G network using RF repeaters embedded with its new technology and expand its indoor coverage underground and in small buildings.

Extracting accurate synchronization signals is vital in 5G networks to ensure a seamless flow of data. The analog synchronization method is more effective in urban areas where there are a lot of base stations but it's hard to extract right signals. It is easier to extract signals accurately by using the digital synchronization method, which requires complicated hardware and lack performance in mixed wave regions.

KT's smart beam pattern synchronization technology has integrated the advantages of analog and digital methods to enable accurate synchronization signal extraction using intelligent synchronization algorithms. The new technique also has lower latency than previous digital synchronization method without the need for complex hardware.

KT said that its new technology helps simplify the structure of RF repeaters, reducing their size and power consumption. The price of repeaters will also be reduced. Because the new technology improves the performance of RF repeaters, it will help KT to provide full 5G coverage to customers inside buildings.

While KT focused on enhancing the performance of RF repeaters, SK Telecom (SKT), the country's top mobile carrier, focused on developing a new traffic dispersion technology to upgrade indoor 5G data communication. In August, SKT introduced "5GX In-building Solution" which would double the data speed of 5G at crowded areas by effectively dispersing data traffic to prevent overload on base stations. 
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