SK Telecom uses Ericsson wireless fronthaul for 5G

SK Telecom’s latest 5G network built at Jinju City, South Gyeongsang Province used wireless fronthaul kit supplied by Ericsson, TheElec has learned.

It is the Swedish telecom equipment giant’s first supply of wireless fronthaul equipment that used its previous wireless backhaul equipment with Ethernet-based Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) standard applied.

Fronthaul refers to the area between the radio unit and distributed unit in base stations.

The units were previously connected via wire. Using a wireless fronthaul allows the radio unit to be placed in areas such as island and forests for wider coverage.

SK Telecom said the deployment of the wireless fronthaul will allow for high quality 5G services in a wider area.

Ericsson focused on supplying wireless backhaul, mostly in Europe. They were not used as much in South Korea as the country has many optical cables installed.

Samsung Network was also preparing to supply wireless backhaul to Verizon, people familiar with the matter said.