By Ron Chen, Correspondent ASEAN Region
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., LG Uplus and LG Electronics have announced that they have successfully deployed South Korea’s first 5G mmWave network using a commercial 5G smartphone at the Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT).
The 5G mmWave network will enable new, innovative services for KIT employees, professors and students, showcasing the technology’s ability to power a Smart Campus model that will transform education. This milestone also represents an important step toward the commercialization of 5G mmWave in South Korea, which is expected to ramp in 2021.
These Smart Campus services will be accessible through the LG Uplus 28 GHz 5G mmWave network on a commercial smartphone by LG Electronics, which is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 Mobile Platform with the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System.
The deployment of 5G mmWave is critical to unleashing the full potential of 5G and addressing the massive increase in mobile data demand. 5G mmWave will allow leading operators such as LG Uplus to take advantage of vast spectrum resources in high spectrum bands, enabling them to more easily deliver the world’s fastest multi-gigabit cellular speeds, low latency connectivity and cost-effective network capacity needed to meet the increasing demand for mobile data from enterprises, consumers and government organizations. Qualcomm Technologies and LG Uplus are committed to continue collaborating closely to address investment efficiency and ecosystem development challenges as required to realize the benefits of 5G mmWave in South Korea. This milestone also showcases the benefits of 5G mmWave technology as it further enables smart campuses, indoor enterprises, indoor/outdoor venues, transportation hubs, fixed wireless access devices, and the industrial Internet of Things.
“We are proud of this significant 5G milestone achieved with LG Uplus and LG, which is instrumental in unlocking the full potential of 5G and its ability to deliver exciting new experiences for consumers, businesses, and the government in South Korea,” said senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Durga Malladi,. “Our long-standing collaboration with these companies demonstrates how mobile industry leaders are working together to drive the commercialization of 5G mmWave globally, and our dedication to being at the forefront of wireless innovation and technology.”
“At LG Uplus, we are continuing to prioritize our contributions to the national development of 5G,” said senior vice president, B2B new business group, LG Uplus, Weonseok Cho. “Through this collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and LG, we were able to see the potential of 5G mmWave and we will continue the collaboration to overcome challenges to realize the full benefits of 5G.”
Setting the foundation for a Smart Campus, this deployment at the KIT demonstrates 5G mmWave’s potential to enable innovative new services and technologies that will transform education for campus employees, professors and students. For example, the 5G mmWave deployment will allow for the use of a Virtual Desktop environment, so that the KIT community can work securely from a 5G mmWave smartphone or laptop anytime, anywhere on campus. The KIT also plans to use 5G technology to establish high-quality remote classes with two-way communication between students and professors. This will facilitate synergies in research and development among the industry and academic groups, while also supporting campus safety with connected artificial intelligence-powered cameras.
