South Korean telco KT, working with compatriot company Samsung, announced plans to install 5G networks at the Samsung Medical Center’s facilities and utilize 5G to co-develop new medical services.
The Korean carrier will install the 5G network at the center’s main campus in Seoul.
KT highlighted that doctors working at this medical center currently need to move back and forth between the proton therapy center and cancer hospital to collect data on patients, while pathology sample data can only be accessed for reading in limited locations across the medical facility.
Through the deployment of 5G technology, medical staff will gain fast and safe access to medical data anywhere in the center, KT said. Doctors will also be able to conduct real-time checkups for patients undergoing proton therapy, as well as read digital diagnosis data in real-time.
Following the deployment of the 5G network, both KT and Samsung plan to co-develop new 5G-based services for the center’s staff.
The new services will allow doctors to monitor surgery progress remotely via 5G video and exchange the best course of action with the staff inside the operating room. Staff within the operating room will also be able to access patient data via their 5G connected mobile devices, KT said.
Rival operator SK Telecom, in partnership with Yonsei University Health System, has also been working on developing smart healthcare services for hospitals.
South Korea’s three mobile carriers are engaged in several projects for the provision of in-building wireless technology through 5G.
According to a recent report by Korea Times, SK Telecom has recently completed the development of a “5GX In-building Solution”, which is capable of doubling the speed of 5G data transfer inside buildings and effectively dispersing data traffic to prevent overload on base stations in crowded areas such as shopping malls and subway stations.
SK Telecom also said this new in-building wireless technology will be applied to its commercial 5G networks after the third quarter of the year.
The company said its new system features “active antenna” technology that allows 5G small cells to be equipped with eight transmission and reception antennas. The carrier highlighted that this technology will double the speed of 5G data transfer as existing indoor base stations are capable of operating four transmission and reception antennas, according to the report.
KT has also been working to expand 5G coverage inside buildings.
In May, the carrier had interlocked 5G repeaters with commercial 5G networks in cooperation with small and medium business partners. KT is in charge of expanding 5G coverage in 95 large buildings out of 119 nationwide, such as airports and KTX stations, in a joint project carried out by the three mobile carriers.
Meanwhile, LG Uplus has been installing repeaters in small and medium buildings and underground parking lots to expand 5G coverage.
The telco is also planning to expand the application of beam-forming and multi-user MIMO technologies to its 5G networks across Korea.
South Korea claimed to be the first country in the world to launch full 5G commercial services on April 3.