SK Telecom Believes 5G Falls Short of Initial Goals
SK Telecom Believes 5G Falls Short of Initial Goals
SK Telecom Believes 5G Falls Short of Initial Goals
Originally hailed as a groundbreaking technological revolution in the realm of broadband cellular communication, 5G has failed to live up to its revolutionary potential in terms of actual products and services.
SK Telecom now contends that the industry must progress by crafting a more unique and enticing vision for the upcoming new generation of mobile networks.
SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier with over 30 million subscribers, is a subsidiary of the renowned SK Group conglomerate.
The company has recently released a white paper on 6G networks. In the next era of mobile broadband, valuable lessons are to be gleaned from the deployment of 5G, which, according to the SK Group, fell significantly short of the industry’s initial expectations.
The second chapter of the white paper aptly titled “Lessons from 5G Experience” asserts that the current 5G services have not fulfilled the ambitious promises made in 2019.
It notes that despite four years of commercial deployment, the underlying technology behind 5G has not truly brought about a transformation.
The fifth-generation standards for broadband cellular networks were solidified through the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) “5G Vision Recommendation,” published by the United Nations agency in September 2015.
As the industry geared up for 5G, innovative and groundbreaking services such as autonomous driving, Urban Air Mobility (UAM), holography, and “digital twins” became hot topics.
However, when these services finally entered the market, many fell short of their expected impact.
SK Telecom’s white paper suggests that the telecom industry should take a “more objective view” of 5G. It argues that the issue lies not in the performance of 5G networks but in “overblown expectations” of the technological innovations these networks would bring.
These services represented what 5G theoretically could achieve, but they have not become a part of customers’ daily experiences.
A combination of factors, including limitations in device form factors, immature device and service technologies, insufficient market demand, and regulatory challenges, have hindered the comprehensive realization of the 5G future envisioned years ago.
SK Telecom believes that, unlike the significant technological leaps made during the transition from 3G to LTE in mobile broadband internet speeds, 5G has not brought about major technological advancements.
Nevertheless, it has successfully delivered faster connectivity to a greater number of users globally, with estimated costs per gigabyte reduced by 70% compared to LTE.
Users of 5G can now consume 50% more data than those using 4G or earlier mobile standards.
As the mobile industry looks ahead to the next generation of cellular data networks, there are lessons to be learned from the shortcomings and missteps encountered during the deployment of 5G.
SK Telecom emphasizes the need for companies and operators within the entire ecosystem to collaborate closely in paving the way for 6G.
This includes establishing clearer expectations for 6G products and services and avoiding fragmented architectures, all with the aim of delivering a higher level of service quality to customers than the existing 5G services.
