Paving Way for Global Diffusion of 5G MEC Technology

Lee Jong-min, head of the Tech Innovation Group at SK Telecom attends an ITU-T Conference via a video teleconferencing system.

SK Telecom announced on March 16 that its 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) interworking platform was adopted as an international standardization task at the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Conference, which was held through a video conferencing system due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The technology adopted as an international standardization task becomes a global standard after discussions among dozens of countries within the ITU-T.

SK Telecom proposed multi-access edge computing technology to the ITU-T to improve the versatility of 5G MEC technology and services and rapidly develop a technology ecosystem. The ITU-T approved its proposal. Multi-access edge computing is intended to establish a separate channel for interworking 5G MEC systems in each carrier, allowing the service provider to offer the same 5G MEC services regardless of regions or carriers.

This standard is expected to increase the convenience of both 5G MEC service subscribers and service developers. When 5G MEC interworking is realized based on international standards, consumers can use 5G MEC services regardless of regions or operators. Service developers can boost development efficiency by reducing the process for optimizing the same service for each carrier's 5G MEC system.

SK Telecom will conduct research on the structure, signals, specifications and requirements of multi-access edge computing technology to complete an international standard in 2022 at SG11 Q7, which studies a 5G MEC standard on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and mobility services at the ITU-T.

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