SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) today announced that its ‘5G mmWave Handover’ and ‘Green Scheduler with Lean Carrier’ have received two awards both in the category of ‘Infrastructure Innovation’ at the GTB Innovation Awards 2017 held in London on May 23.

Launched in 2007, Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Awards are designed to honor innovative projects involving telecoms operators and service providers around the world. The awards are presented in five categories, including Infrastructure Innovation, Enterprise Service Innovation and Consumer Service Innovation. 

SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics jointly received an award in the category of ‘Infrastructure Innovation’ with ‘5G mmWave Handover,’ which is a key technology that supports Gbps-level wireless communications anywhere, anytime. The two companies have developed the technology in September 2016 and successfully verified the technology, for the first time in the world, by connecting multiple millimeter wave 5G base station systems to SK Telecom’s fiber optics infrastructure. 

In particular, SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics used the ‘Ray Tracing’ method to calculate the optimal location of millimeter wave base stations. They also developed 3D beamforming techniques to resolve attenuation of radio signals in millimeter wave frequencies, thereby securing a lineup of key technologies for commercialization of 5G and proving the possibility of 5G mobile communications using millimeter waves.

Moreover, SK Telecom and Ericsson have also jointly received an award in the same category with ‘Green Scheduler with Lean Carrier,’ which is the world’s first solution that successfully combines energy efficient traffic scheduling and Lean Carrier. The solution was recognized for its ability to enhance network energy efficiency while reducing signal interference, and is therefore expected to play a crucial role in building green networks in the future. 

Meanwhile, on the same day, SK Telecom has also won recognition from the Small Cell Industry Awards 2017* held in London, U.K.

    *The Small Cell Industry Awards is organized by Small Cell Forum, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2007 to accelerate small cell technology adoption and maximize the potential of mobile services worldwide. Its 150 members include 65 mobile operators like SK Telecom, Vodafone, AT&T and NTT Docomo, as well as telecoms hardware and software vendors, content providers, and innovative start-ups. 

The company became the winner of the ‘Outstanding Innovation in Small Cell Technology or Architecture’ category with ‘eLAA/LAA small cell & open interface for multi-vendor interoperability.’ ‘eLAA*/LAA** small cell & open interface for multi-vendor interoperability’ is a meaningful achievement that brings the industry closer towards the next-generation of small cells. 

* eLAA(Enhanced Licensed Assisted Access) : Technology which increases data speeds in both uplink and downlink by aggregating licensed and unlicensed spectrum to create a wider data pipe in both directions. 

** LAA(Licensed Assisted Access) : Technology which increases data speeds in downlink only by aggregating licensed and unlicensed spectrum to create a wider data pipe in downlink directions.

“SK Telecom is delighted to receive these global prestigious awards as they recognize our relentless efforts to introduce innovative network technologies,” said Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center. “SK Telecom will continue to develop advanced technologies to launch a commercial 5G network, which will play a pivotal role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”