By next year, a wireless network 100 times faster than the one currently in place will be installed throughout Seoul’s subway infrastructure. (Image: ETRI)
DAEJEON, Jan. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — By next year, a wireless network 100 times faster than the one currently in place will be installed throughout Seoul’s subway infrastructure.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on January 4 that it will start by testing a “Mobile Hotspot Network” (MHN) on subway line 8 cars.
The MHN is not only 100 times faster than the current Wibro technology, but it is also 30 times faster than LTE.
Wibro was often difficult to connect to, and even for strong connections, did not support activities requiring high-speed internet access such as video streaming.
According to researchers, the MHN will enable 550 subway riders to simultaneously stream video on their respective devices.
People Biz, a consortium working to introduce Gigabit Wi-Fi MHNs to the mainstream, completed testing at five subway stations on Line 8 at the end of last year.
Average transfer speeds on a moving train were recorded at 1.1 gigabits per second.
Though a date has yet to fixed, a pilot project is expected to be implemented all throughout Line 8 in June.
Near the end of the year, the MHN will be tested on Line 2, then taken to the other subway routes in 2019.
According to researchers, the MHN will enable 550 subway riders to simultaneously stream video on their respective devices. (Image: ETRI)
An even faster “MHN-E” service that can reach transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second will be showcased next month when the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics are taking place.
The ETRI previously shared the MHN technology with domestic IT firm Cleverlogic.
Research was jointly conducted by Seoul Metro, SKT, KT, Sejong Telecom, Hoimyung ICT, Artware, KMW, Cleverlogic, SNET ICT, and HFR.
A researcher from the ETRI said, “Firms that took part in the MHN project were able to convert it into a commercially viable product by shrinking its size. The MHN will be the world’s first commercial product that serves as a wireless backhaul network for the subway using millimeter-length wavelengths from 30 to 300 gigahertz.”
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
