Core 5G network technologies developed by wireless carriers SK Telecom and KT have been selected as Korean standards by the Telecommunications Technology Association, according to the two companies Thursday.

On Wednesday, the TTA chose SK Telecom‘s 5G fronthaul technology and KT’s 5G network slice orchestration as its standards at an annual congress held in Seoul.

SK Telecom‘s fronthaul technology, which connects 5G central units with distributed units, is an open-interface system that standardizes the specifications for sending data.

In the past, long-term evolution fronthaul architecture was not standardized, meaning that central and distributed units had to be manufactured according to the same specifications for compatibility.

By standardizing specifications rather than having discrete specifications for each manufacturer such as Samsung or Ericsson, SK Telecom’s fronthaul technology allows smaller manufacturers and startups to develop 5G hardware, according to an SKT official.

SK Telecom will work together with small and medium-sized hardware companies to develop 5G equipment, according to the company.

KT‘s 5G network slice orchestration technology, which was chosen as an international standard by the International Telecommunication Union in September, optimizes network slicing to support diverse ICT applications.

With KT’s orchestration technology, carriers can organically slice and allot their network infrastructure to effectively power various types of 5G services, according to the company.

KT‘s PyeongChang system, developed together with global ICT leaders such as Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm, was also chosen as a top standard. The system began development in 2015, and was completed as the world’s first 5G standard in June 2016, fulfilling ITU‘s 5G service criteria such as low latency and high speed. The PyeongChang 5G network will undergo a test run at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in February.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)