KT Successfully Demonstrates UAM in Urban Environment for the First Time in Korea

Completion of K-UAM Grand Challenge Phase 2 Demonstration
Verification of 5G Aviation Network Stability and UAM Traffic Management System

KT, Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Incheon International Airport Corporation, and Korean Air, together as the K-UAM One Team, are taking a commemorative photo at the Incheon Ara Waterway demonstration site. Photo by KT

KT announced on November 3 that it has successfully completed the second phase demonstration of the Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Grand Challenge, led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This demonstration marked the first-ever integrated UAM operation verification in an urban environment in Korea. Through this, KT proved the stability of its 5G aviation network and the efficiency of its integrated traffic management system.

KT participated as part of the "K-UAM One Team" alongside Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Incheon International Airport Corporation, and Korean Air, conducting the demonstration over a 15-kilometer section from Gyeyang to Cheongna in Incheon. Focusing on its self-developed UAM Traffic Management System (UATM), KT rigorously tested the integrated system in an urban setting, including simulation-based Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), the 5G aviation network, and a flight data-linked information sharing system.

KT not only verified normal flight operations but also simulated various abnormal scenarios such as communication outages, GPS instability, and unexpected aerial objects, confirming that the traffic management system could detect and analyze these situations in real time and respond immediately. This demonstrated the stability and responsiveness of UAM operations even in complex urban environments.

Additionally, by integrating surveillance technologies such as RTK-GNSS, KASS, ADS-B, and MLAT with a dedicated 800 MHz 5G aviation network, KT conducted real-time trajectory monitoring. As a result, the communication between the aircraft and the traffic management system achieved a transmission success rate close to 100%, demonstrating the feasibility of safe operations and efficient traffic management among all stakeholders.

KT also achieved clear voice call quality at altitudes of 300 to 600 meters, improving real-time communication accuracy between pilots and managers. By processing flight data in real time through the 5G aviation network, KT reduced the flight approval process from four steps to just one.

The information sharing system was designed to record the source and timestamp of collected data, enabling precise tracking of data history and laying the foundation for future policy and operational decision-making.

Won Manho, Head of Technology Innovation at KT (Executive Vice President), said, "This is a meaningful achievement, as we demonstrated unwavering performance and stability under the challenging conditions of a real urban environment. Having achieved remarkable results in terms of data reliability and operational efficiency, we will focus on opening a safe and trustworthy skyway."