SKT to Establish Global Standards for 'UAM Integration Technology'

First ITU-T Approval for UAM Integration Technology
Technology Linking Aircraft with Ground Networks and Communication Systems

SK Telecom's urban air mobility (UAM) interworking technology standardization proposal has been approved as a new standard project by the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The photo shows Jongmin Lee, SKT Future R&D Manager (second from the right), holding an internal meeting with SKT researchers for UAM interworking technology standardization. Photo by SKT

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] SK Telecom's urban air mobility (UAM) interworking technology standardization proposal has been approved as a new standard project by the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).

On the 8th, SK Telecom announced that ITU-T's 'Study Group (SG) 11' approved its proposed "UAM service interworking structure and method for a stable UAM service environment" as a standard project. ITU-T is an organization under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations (UN) affiliated international ICT organization, responsible for research and standardization of telecommunications standards. SG 11 of ITU-T is a research sector that deals with interworking structures and methods across various ICT fields.

SKT proposed the UAM service interworking structure and method to SG 11, considering the unique operational system of UAM, including flight characteristics of UAM aircraft, communication network systems, corridors which are dedicated UAM airways, and vertiports which are dedicated takeoff and landing sites. SKT classified the UAM service interworking structure into three layers: ▲service layer (operation and control systems), ▲network layer (ground network, air network, vertiport), and ▲aircraft and corridor layer (aircraft, corridor), defining each layer and including a blueprint for interworking structures and data communications between layers in the standard proposal.

With SKT's standard proposal approved as a new project by ITU-T, SKT will develop detailed standards such as interworking structures between each UAM layer and types of data for interworking together with member companies. After preliminary approval and final adoption processes for the detailed standards, it will become an official global standard.

SKT explained that although there have been previous attempts to standardize the security of UAM networks, this is the first time that actual service technology has been approved as a standard project by ITU-T. UAM is a field that requires the complex application of various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, and telecommunications. If SKT's standard proposal is adopted as a global standard, it will enable SKT to secure the global standard for UAM services. From the UAM industry perspective, it is expected to facilitate interworking between UAM systems developed by different manufacturers and developers.

Jongmin Lee, head of SKT's Future R&D, said, "The significance of this standard project approval is that the reputable international standardization organization ITU-T not only recognized the importance of UAM-related technology but also acknowledged SKT's technological capabilities in the UAM field," adding, "Through SKT's UAM standardization, we will contribute to the development of the domestic and international UAM industry and the activation of the ecosystem."