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TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
SK Telecom Achieves Standalone 5G Data Session
South Korea’s SK Telecom (SKT) claims to Commenting on the development, Park threshold of launching standalone 5G
have successfully conducted the world’s Jong-kwan, SKT’s Vice President and service, a key enabler of revolutionary
first standalone (SA) 5G data session on its Head of 5GX Labs, was cited as saying: changes and innovations in all industries …
multi-vendor commercial fifth-generation ‘With the successful standalone 5G data SK Telecom will offer the best 5G networks
network. In a press release announcing the call on our multi-vendor commercial 5G and services to realize a whole new level of
development, the mobile network operator network, we are now standing on the customer experience in the 5G era.’
(MNO) said that as a result of what it
called the ‘major breakthrough in 5G’, it
was now fully set to provide SA services
on the network. In line with this, the MNO
now plans to launch a 5G SA service in the
first half of this year. SKT’s standalone
5G data call took place on 16 January
2020 in Busan, the second largest city in
Korea, using the operator’s commercial 5G
network deployed in that region. To achieve
the milestone, the cellco applied SA New
Radio (NR) software to its existing non-
standalone (NSA) 5G base stations, while
completing multi-vendor interoperability
between network equipment provided by
Ericsson and Samsung. SKT noted that
it has also applied key 5G technologies
such as network slicing and mobile edge
computing (MEC) in an SA environment.
Liquid Telecom SA Planning to Launch 5G in Early 2020
Liquid Telecom South Africa has confirmed ‘Available from early 2020 in all major spectrum in the 3.5GHz band; the only
its plans to launch a 5G wholesale network South African cities, this fifth-generation other operators with access to the band
in early 2020, after inking an agreement of mobile internet connectivity will enable are Telkom and Rain. While Rain launched
with Vodacom to utilise Liquid’s 3.5GHz wholesale operators to create innovative, a commercial fixed-wireless 5G network in
spectrum in December 2019, TechCentral ultrafast and scalable digital services for September 2019, Telkom is yet to reveal its
writes. Liquid said in a press release: their customers.’ Liquid has 56MHz of plans regarding the technology.
Ready to Play: Another Polish Cellco Close to 5G Launch
Polish cellco P4, which operates under the Office of Electronic Communications of 5G. The entire city is covered.’ Play was
the name Play, says it has deployed 5G (Urzad Komunikacji Elektronicznej, cleared to begin 2100MHz 5G trials in the
equipment covering the entire city of Gdynia UKE). Reuters cites Play’s CEO Jean- tri-city area of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot
in the north of the country. The firm says Marc Harion as saying: ‘Technically, by UKE last month. Earlier this week rival
its network will utilize 2100MHz spectrum we’re waiting for UKE to provide us with operator Polkomtel/Plus announced plans
and its commercial launch is just waiting the authorization to operate spectrum to launch 5G networks in seven cities by
for clearance from the telecoms regulator, commercially, but this is a real life rollout the end of March.
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