Under the partnership, the companies will develop 5G chipset and device prototypes, as well as anchor-booster cell and massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology.
“This new MOU deepens the cooperation between SK Telecom and Intel to develop and secure key enabling technologies for 5G,” said Alex Jinsung Choi, SKT’s CTO. “We will continue to continue to make efforts to provide customers with unprecedented value through innovative 5G services.”
SK Telecom and Intel will also work together to develop 5G devices similar to the size of existing LTE devices for frequency bands likely to be used for pre-5G demonstrations and 5G commercialisation.
Anchor-booster cell – one of the core 5G technologies – is said to enable seamless transmission of large amounts of data through a combination of an LTE network and next-generation wireless LAN called wireless gigabit alliance (WiGig).
WiGig is expected to support approximately 10 times faster speeds than Wifi, enabling users to download a full HD movie of in one to two seconds, according to SK Telecom.
In addition the companies will apply mobile edge computing technology on the anchor-booster cell to enhance 5G by improving quality of experience (QOE) as well as developing business models for enterprises and verticals.
The operator will establish a 5G test bed at its Bundang building, where its corporate R&F centre is located.
In June 2015 SK Telecom said it had successfully verified the performance of a user plane and control plane separation technique, a key enabling technology for 5G.
