KT showcasing 5G technology at PyeongChang Games

More than 1,200 people form the shape of a dove out of light-emitting diode lights during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Feb. 9. The light show was orchestrated by KT's 5G network. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

The ongoing PyeongChang Olympic Games mean a lot to Korea.

The nation is hosting its first-ever Winter Games and using them to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Plus, the tech-savvy country seeks to take advantage of the quadrennial sporting event as a stepping stone to cement its foothold in the global mobile industry through the world's first trials of fifth-generation (5G) network service provided by Korean telecom giant KT.

KT, an official telecommunications partner of the PyeongChang Olympics, has set its sights on commercializing the futuristic integrated services by early 2019, which would be a first in the hard-fought competition among global telecom firms.

The next-generation technology is forecast to enable a data transmission speed that is 100 times faster than current fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) technology amid expectations that it will generate big economic impact.

"This new 5G technology will not only be a foundation of the innovation of future society and provide new experiences but also become an opportunity for the communications industry to provide an innovative and futuristic new business model," a KT official said.

From the beginning of the PyeongChang Olympic Games, KT's 5G technology has wowed the world.

As John Lennon's anti-war song "Imagine" was sung by four high-profile Korean singers during the Feb. 9 opening ceremony, 1,270 people entered PyeongChang Olympic Stadium and formed a giant dove of peace with light-emitting diode (LED) lights that lit up the sky.

An aerial view showed the people first created an image of two doves and later they merged into a bigger one.

The highlight reel of the evening was orchestrated by KT, which equipped the stadium with a 5G network and prepared 5G-controlled LED lights.

"In order to fine-tune the LED lights' brightness and flickering that should be in sync with the rendition and the display performers, we repeatedly tested the system," the official said.

"The 5G-functioning tablet remotely controlled all the lights through KT's 5G technology, creating a magnificent spectacle."

A visitor watches a short track speed skating event using KT's interactive time slice at Gangneung Ice Arena. / Yonhap

KT's trace to 5G trial service

Since Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu announced in March 2015 that his company would provide the broad-scale 5G trial service for the Games, the nation's largest fixed-line operator has strived to bring forward the era of 5G.

The Seoul-based company formed the 5G Special Interest Group with Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Intel, Ericsson and Nokia in November 2015 that later created the 5G standards for PyeongChang.

KT and Samsung also transferred data from 5G terminals to the core network based on the PyeongChang 5G Specification and they also installed a 5G test network in the downtown area.

Last year, KT made great strides in its efforts toward 5G.

The firm displayed 5G end-to-end services at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain for the first time in the world in February 2017, followed by a demonstration of 5G bus service in the following month.

In May, the wireless carrier successfully performed a 5G field test in an Airport Railroad train that links Seoul to Incheon International Airport.

Last October, KT transmitted video data through a 5G network on a highway and sent 5G data from Samsung's device to its core network based on the standards — both of which were the word's first.

Last December, it also contributed to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GGP) completing the first-ever specification for the non-standalone 5G New Radio.

A few days ahead of the PyeongChang Games, Chairman Hwang in Seoul and Verizon Chairman Lowell McAdam in Minnesota conducted the first-ever real-time 5G video call through two 5G-capable tablet devices developed by Samsung, vindicating that it was fully ready for the Olympics.

5G on full display

KT's years of efforts toward 5G service are paying off at the Olympic Games as it is receiving rave reviews for its next-level viewing experience.

It is offering four advanced visual technologies — sync view, interactive time slice, omni-point view and 360-degree virtual reality live broadcasting.

"The 5G network will provide vivid experiences to audiences just like they are participating in the real Olympic Winter Games," said KT President Oh Sung-mok last October.

Fans watch a bobsleigh competition at the Olympic Sliding Center in PyeongChang through KT's sync view service allowing viewers to watch the games from bobsledders' viewpoints. / Yonhap

The interactive time slice has impressed ice sports fans such as short track speed skating, ice hockey and figure skating.

The technology using 100 cameras installed around the ice rink, arranged in a 180-degree arc, captures 360-degree views of the action, allowing viewers to see key moments of performances in "bullet time" like something out of "The Matrix."

"The 5G technology's ultra-fast processing enables KT to stream high-definition videos," said Kim Hyung-joon, KT's senior vice president and head of its PyeongChang 2018 team.

An Olympic fan said, "The time slice technology enables people to enjoy games in a more dynamic fashion."

Another said, "It provides more vivid viewing experiences than what conventional TV broadcasts do."

Omni-point view made its Olympic debut in cross-country skiing on Feb. 10.

It is a multifaceted broadcasting technology for sporting events that provides personalized views for each skier.

According to KT, each skier carries a subminiature global positioning system sensor, which works with 5G-based ultra high-definition cameras set up all around the arena. Audiences can watch a specific skier's run from start to finish as well as digitalized information on the overall competition.

In the future, KT intends to use the technology for the connected car sector.

Sync view, developed for bobsleigh, allowed audiences to watch 3D live performances from a bobsledder's viewpoint as KT has installed Sync cameras and 5G modules on the sleds of 107 national teams.

The service comes with a combination of super-small wireless camera and telecom modules, sending quality video in real time over the 5G network.

Along with the technologies enhancing viewing experience, the company is running its 5G exhibition halls at Gangneung Olympic Park and Gwanghwamun in Seoul, where visitors can enjoy a variety of 5G programs, helping them to gauge the potential of a 5G network.

KT also participated in the torch relay, using its 5G drone that was specifically built for the event in January.

In response to KT's introduction of 5G to the Olympics Games, global high-tech leaders gave high marks.

KT invited Mats Granryd, director general of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, NTT Docomo CEO Kazuhiro Yoshizawa and others to PyeongChang to showcase its 5G technology, Feb. 10.

They said KT has changed the viewing experience of the Olympic Games.

"By following KT's successful 5G trial service for the PyeongChang Olympic Games, Japan will try to apply it to the 2020 Tokyo Games," Yoshizawa said.

He added what impressed him most was the service focusing on uploading to transmit images from the viewpoint of athletes.

In response, Chairman Hwang said, "KT plans to play a key role in leading 5G commercialization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the back of know-how from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and close cooperation with partners."

KT's other innovation

The telecom company has stepped up efforts to monitor and combat infectious diseases in real time by using big data.

In 2016, Hwang introduced KT's "Stopping the Spread of Infectious Disease" project, which tracks people who have visited areas with infectious diseases via their roaming big data and uses them for quarantine.

Since then, it has the established Big Data Initiative on Disease Diffusion Mapping System, which made the G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Also, it has been promoting the "GiGA Story" project, which has bridged the information gap in remote areas through ICT technology since 2014. After its implementation in five regions, KT's "shared value creation" project has gone global, launching in Bangladesh last April.