Publication of Virtualized Base Station Technology White Paper
Expectations for Improved Cell Capacity and Power Consumption
Discussion on Measures to Revitalize the Open RAN Ecosystem
SK Telecom announced on the 20th that it has jointly published a technical white paper with Japanese telecommunications company NTT Docomo for the introduction of virtualized base stations.
Virtualized base stations are a core element of Open RAN and an essential technology in the process of advancing 5G and establishing 6G standards. They have the advantage of being implementable by simply installing the necessary software on general-purpose servers without the need for the hardware and software manufacturers of the base station to be the same.
On the 19th, SK Telecom and NTT Docomo held a meeting at SK Telecom's headquarters in Euljiro and finalized a joint white paper on virtualized base station technology collaboration. Ryoo Tak-gi, SK Telecom Infrastructure Manager (left), and Takehiro Nakamura, NTT Docomo CSO, are posing for a commemorative photo. [Photo by SKT]
In the white paper released this time, the two companies presented key elements necessary to improve the performance of virtualized base stations compared to existing base stations. These include the evolution of hardware accelerator technology, development of virtualization-specialized technologies, development of power-saving technologies, integration improvements among virtualized base station components, and considerations for evolution to 6G networks.
The two companies forecast that hardware accelerator technology will evolve in various directions, such as CPU-integrated accelerators and inline accelerators, improving the cell capacity and power consumption of virtualized base stations.
SKT and NTT Docomo plan to discuss ways to revitalize the global Open RAN ecosystem at the upcoming MWC 2024 based on the contents of this white paper.
They also plan to expand mutual cooperation on key technologies in preparation for 5G evolution and 6G, including the use of AI technology in future communication systems and research on 6G network design.
Ryoo Tak-gi, head of infrastructure technology at SK Telecom, said, "This is a meaningful white paper that contains realistic considerations and efforts for the development of core areas of Open RAN from the operator's perspective," adding, "We plan to lead the global Open RAN ecosystem based on close cooperation with global operators going forward."
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