SK Telecom and Nokia have jointly demonstrated a mere 2ms latency between handset and base station over a 4G LTE network as part of their preparations towards 5G.
The trial demonstrated a reduction in latency between LTE handset and base station from 25ms to 2ms by using uplink pre-scheduling technology .
Uplink pre-scheduling enables handsets to immediately transmit data to the base station. Combined with short transmission time interval (TTI) – a technology that reduces reduces data transmission time between base station and handset to about a seventh of the current rate – the 2ms latency technology has the potential to dramatically improve the delivery of services that require real-time transmission.
SK Telecom noted that low latency will be an essential requirement of services such as autonomous vehicles and telemedicine, as well as AR and VR services.
For example, a stop signal sent using 25ms latency for a self-driving vehicle moving at 150kms per hour would equate to about a meter of further travel before deceleration begins. At 2ms latency this is reduced to only 8 centimeters.
Low latency communications can also support services requiring real-time monitoring of remote sites and control of equipment including disaster relief robots.
SK Telecom and Nokia plan to work together to implement short TTI technology into 3GPP standards as part of the evolution to 5G.
“Low latency technology is essential in realizing 5G services such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and virtual reality services,” SK Telecom SVP and head of network technology R&D Park Jin-hyo said.
“We will continue to improve our low latency technologies to achieve 5G evolution, while applying the latest technologies to our LTE networks to further enhance customer experience.”
The ITU has set the 5G specification as a peak data rate of 20Gbps and ultra-low latency of below 1ms.