[Edaily Reporter Yun Junghoon ] Moving beyond an era where base stations merely transmit and receive communication signals, the era of “AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network),” in which base stations directly process AI computations, is now in full swing.

SKTelecom(017670)On the 15th, the company announced that it has set out to secure key wireless infrastructure for the construction of the “AI Highway,” a key national policy initiative of the current administration.

SKT has been selected as the implementing agency for the “Hyper-AI Network Infrastructure Development” demonstration project, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the KoreaInformation&Communication Agency (NIA), and will begin building an “AI-RAN pilot network” and demonstrating convergence services involving physical AI (such as robots and autonomous driving).

While so-called “physical AI”—such as robots and autonomous vehicles—has been rapidly adopted in industrial settings recently, the limitations of the DEVICES themselves have been clear. Robots require massive amounts of AI computation to perceive and control their surroundings in real time; however, relying solely on the robot’s battery and chipset to handle this would make the DEVICES too heavy and drive up costs significantly.

AI-RAN solves this problem by integrating AI computing resources into base stations. This approach allows nearby base stations to handle the complex AI computations that robots would otherwise have to perform. By reducing the burden on the devices while maximizing service responsiveness and efficiency, it is considered “essential infrastructure” for the era of physical AI.

SKT is pursuing this project to validate ultra-low-latency, high-reliability, and ultra-precise network technologies in industrial settings.

The most notable feature of this pilot is that it brings together major global telecommunications equipment manufacturers. Over the course of this two-year pilot project, SKT will simultaneously deploy and conduct comparative validation of AI-RAN equipment from four manufacturers—SamsungElectronics, HFR (Korean), Ericsson, and Nokia (foreign)—within a single project.

By applying technology that integrates and automatically controls a mixed Open RAN (O-RAN) environment—comprising equipment from different manufacturers—at the top level, the company plans to quantitatively verify compatibility and performance in a multi-vendor environment.

In addition, by diversifying the configuration of AI computing devices—such as CPUs and GPUs—the company aims to derive an optimal portfolio tailored to specific service objectives and plans to conduct comparative field tests to measure efficiency based on the deployment structure of the User Plane Function (UPF).

In the first year of the project, pilot networks will be deployed at two sites: Incheon (patrol robots based on SK Incheon Petrochemical and SamsungElectronics equipment) and Pangyo (autonomous transport based on Living Lab and HFR equipment). In the second year, the project will be expanded and enhanced to actual production and logistics sites, such as the KG Mobility Pyeongtaek plant.

SKT is the only South Korean telecommunications company currently serving as a board member of the global “AI-RAN Alliance.” The company plans to directly incorporate the cross-validation data and key performance indicators (KPIs) obtained through this demonstration into standardization discussions at global bodies such as 3GPP and O-RAN. This move is intended to expand the reach of domestically developed AI-RAN technology into the global market.

Furthermore, SKT KTCorporation will closely link this pilot network with the “AI Data Center (AIDC) Infrastructure Strategy,” a core future growth engine for the SK Group. The vision is to complete a true “AI highway” where high-performance AI functions processed in AIDCs flow seamlessly through AI-RAN base stations to field robots.

Ryu Tak-ki, Head of Network Technology at SKT, stated, “Based on the capabilities we have accumulated as the only Korean member of the AI-RAN Alliance Board of Directors, we will demonstrate various AI-RAN pilot networks and physical AI services.” He added, “While advancing AI-RAN technology—the core of the ‘AI Highway’—we will also enhance the self-reliance and global competitiveness of the domestic ecosystem through win-win collaboration among large, medium, and small businesses.”