KT develops network tech to support standalone and non-standalone 5G

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, said Tuesday it developed a core network technology that supports both standalone and non-standalone versions of 5G.

South Korean 5G users are currently limited to the non-standalone version of the latest generation network, requiring support from the 4G LTE network.

KT's new technology, the first in the country, paves the way for local 5G subscribers to use the standalone version of the network, which has the advantage of lower latency, as it solely uses the 5G network, according to the carrier.

KT said it worked closely with major 5G equipment maker Samsung Electronics Co. for the technology from its design process, and it is planning to introduce the technology to eight of the carrier's telecommunication centers across the country.

South Korean carriers were expected to commercialize the standalone version of the network by the end of this year in line with the growing number of 5G users, but the pandemic has dented such plans.

The country's 5G users stood at 9.25 million as of end-September, accounting for 13.2 percent of the country's total 70.2 million mobile accounts, according to government data.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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