KT Successfully Applies 1.6 Terabit Speed Transmission Network Pilot

Increased Demand for AI and Cloud
Data Transfer Speed Between Metropolitan DCs Up 2.6 Times
Nationwide Backbone Network Improved 2 Times

KT announced on the 24th that it has succeeded in pilot-applying a terabit-speed transmission network on the backbone network connecting Seoul, Busan, and Cheonan, becoming the first domestic telecommunications company to do so.

KT Successfully Applies 1.6 Terabit Speed Transmission Network Pilot

A KT employee is inspecting the backbone network with terabit-speed transmission applied at the Gwacheon KT Network Control Center. Photo by KT

The backbone network serves as the fundamental infrastructure for all communication networks and plays a central role in communication services. KT has been enhancing the performance of its backbone network in preparation for the advancement of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, as well as the increasing demand for global content.

KT confirmed that with the terabit transmission network, data is stably transmitted and received at speeds of 1.2 terabits per second (Tbps) over the long-distance section (530 km) between Seoul and Busan, and 1.6 Tbps over the mid-distance section (110 km) between Seoul and Cheonan. For this demonstration, KT advanced technologies that support large-capacity transmission, such as coherent technology and variable wavelength transmission methods, and applied them to the backbone network.

KT expects that with the introduction of terabit transmission, data transmission speeds between metropolitan area data centers will improve by approximately 2.6 times compared to the existing speeds, and the speed of the nationwide backbone network will increase by about 2 times. KT plans to fully apply the terabit mid-to-long distance transmission network in the first half of next year.

Kwon Hye-jin, Executive Director of KT’s Network Strategy Headquarters, said, "We plan to continuously invest in network advancement to proactively respond to the increasing demand for large-capacity traffic in the AI era."