April 19, 2024

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Korean carrier KT and Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia said on Feb. 25 they have agreed to work together to enhance 5G services and network operational efficiency.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly test 5G technologies, including network function virtualization and network slicing, to develop new applications and business models for enterprise customers.

The signing came on the sidelines of MWC Barcelona, which will bring together industrial officials and experts from more than 2,400 companies to share the latest mobile industry trends.

“The joint work will include service orchestration and assurance for the 5G era, with the aim of delivering end-to-end automation and new revenue opportunities,” Nokia said in a release.

“The trials are planned to take place in Seoul later this year.”

Using Nokia’s portfolio of software applications and services, KT will test an end-to-end network service platform in the country for network slicing.

Network slicing is a key feature of 5G that will allow carriers to tailor different parts of their network capacity to different subscribers and applications, like connected vehicles and Internet-of-Things use cases.

Network function virtualization is the combination of software and hardware network featured in a virtual network.

“Virtualization and network slicing will allow us to offer new and innovative services, such as connected cars, virtual reality, IoT use cases and smart factories, while helping us bring down our operational costs,” Jeon Hong-beom, KT’s chief technology officer, said in a statement.

By Ram Garikipati and newswires (ram@heraldcorp.com)