SK Telecom, Nokia Networks have commercialized a core LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology called ‘Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC)’. eICIC is a technology that controls signal interference between macro and micro base stations to enhance the quality of the LTE-A network. 

With the deployment of eICIC, SK Telecom expects to provide its customers with enhanced experience by reducing inter-cell interference by 15 percent in traffic congested areas where macro and micro cells are concentrated.

SK Telecom has applied eICIC to its LTE-A network located in Gwangju Metropolitan City and plans to apply the technology to the rest of its nationwide LTE-A network by the first half of 2016.

The two companies said that, with the commercialization of eICIC, they have also moved a step closer to realizing the next generation network (5G) as eICIC will be an essential technology in the era of 5G where heterogeneous networks will become more complex. Heterogeneous Network, or HetNet, refers to the co-channel deployment of macrocells and small cells with the purpose of increasing the network capacity and coverage.