SK Telecom's newly developed fronthaul of 5G network technology was adopted as a Korean national standard by the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the operator has announced today. 

In 5G networks, a base station is separated into a central unit and a distributed unit containing antennas. Main digital controllers are nested in a central unit for processing, whereas a distributed unit is located at cell sites. This separation makes it easier to manage the quality of service and the level of maintenance as the central units are gathered in a single location. Fronthaul is the wired connection between the central units and the distributed ones.

 Compared with LTE networks, 5G network requires a higher base station density with a higher capacity for data processing. These requirements emphasize the significant role of fronthaul in transmitting the radio signals received from cell sites to the central units.

 With its 5G fronthaul specifications set as a national standard, the operator’s approach to open standard is likely to add momentum to their effort to join the 5G ecosystem in Korea.

 SK Telecom has promised to closely work with local small- and mid-sized vendors to develop network equipment which meet its fronthaul specifications set as the TTA standard. Also, it will seek out opportunities for further collaboration with stakeholders, both locally and internationally, to accelerate the adoption of the specifications as a 3GPP standard.