SKT speeds up network virtualization for 5G
SK Telecom engineers test network virtualization technology at its office in Bongcheon-dong, southern Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of SK Telecom
By Yoon Sung-won
SK Telecom, the nation’s top mobile carrier, said Monday it has started to apply virtualization technology to its telecom infrastructure as a base to establish a fifth-generation (5G) network.
Following the introduction of transport software defined networking (T-SDN) technology, the telecom company said it will speed up its network virtualization and pledged to accelerate the development of the 5G network.
“With the introduction of T-SDN technology, we have applied virtualization technology to all our networks from base stations to services,” SK Telecom’s network division executive vice president Lee Jong-bong said. “Now that we have the world’s leading network operation capability, we will boost the virtualization of our commercial networks, aiming at launching the 5G network and becoming the next-generation platform service provider.”
SK Telecom said it will also conduct a field test of its virtualized radio access network (vRAN) technology, which enables the operation of virtual base stations without needing to respectively build hardware equipment or infrastructure, within this year. This means that the company will have virtualization technology applicable to the most important sectors of its telecom network including base stations and transmissions.
The mobile carrier said that network virtualization is key to the realization of the 5G network, which offers network services that are tailor-made for the diversified demands of each customer. Unlike with conventional hardware-based networks, telecom companies will be able to launch new services much quicker with a virtualized network.
The T-SDN technology manages traffic by seeking for optimal routes in a network environment established with equipment made by multiple manufacturers. The technology has been partly applied to optical transmission network equipment and will be gradually provided for other parts of the network next year, the company said.
The vRAN technology is used to boost efficiency by integrating processes of separate base stations with general network equipment. SK Telecom said it succeeded in demonstrating the vRAN technology for the first time in February 2013.
The company has also established a facility dedicated to research network virtualization technology at its office in Bongcheon-dong, southern Seoul, in September 2014.