SK Telecom Recognized for '5G In-Building Technology', Awarded at Small Cell Forum

Ryutakgi, leader of the SK Telecom Access Network Development Team (first from the left), and employees are posing for a commemorative photo holding the dual-mode RF repeater that won an award at the Small Cell Awards.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] SK Telecom announced on the 2nd that it won the 'Small Cell Design and Technology Commercialization' category at the 'Small Cell Awards 2020' hosted by the globally prestigious Small Cell Forum.

SK Telecom's '5G/4G Dual Mode RF Repeater,' which won in the 'Small Cell Design and Technology Commercialization' category, is a key device that receives 5G and LTE signals from outdoor base stations and amplifies and diffuses them indoors?such as in buildings, tunnels, and underground spaces?where radio waves are difficult to reach, thereby expanding communication coverage. The Small Cell Forum stated as the reason for the award, "As proven by the commercialization achievements of SK Telecom's dual mode RF repeater, it strengthens the business viability of in-building networks and provides excellent customer experience."

Following the world's first commercialization of the dual mode RF repeater capable of simultaneously servicing 5G and LTE in December last year, SK Telecom is actively pursuing overseas market expansion. It has optimized the device for Europe's 5G environment in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecommunications company, and successfully completed field verification in Germany last March. Starting from the third quarter of this year, it plans to launch trial services for customers.

Jongkwan Park, head of SK Telecom's 5GX Technology Group, said, "With this award, SK Telecom's 5G in-building technology has been recognized globally," adding, "We will continue to strive to contribute to enhancing national competitiveness through ICT, which forms the foundation of the Digital New Deal."

The Small Cell Forum has over 60 leading global mobile carriers such as AT&T and Vodafone, and over 90 telecommunications equipment manufacturers including Samsung Electronics, Ericsson, and Huawei as members, and annually selects and awards innovative small cell technologies and commercialization cases.