SK Telecom announced on Jan. 28 that it has successfully commercialized enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) in partnership with Nokia, paving the way for the 5G era.
eICIC is a solution that coordinates interference between macro and micro cells. The two companies anticipate that the commercialization of eICIC will improve radio-frequency interference by 15 percent, which occurs in places where pico-cells, femto-cells, and macro-cells overlap. The improvement is expected to enhance call quality.
eICIC is widely considered to be necessary for not only a stable LTE-A service but also the 5G era, as a Heterogeneous Networks (HetNet) is likely to be further advanced in the next-generation network environment. A HetNet refers to a network where pico-cells or femto-cells are added to existing macrocells in an environment with a wide variety of wireless coverage zones in order to secure capacity and improve quality.
SKT already commercialized the solution at the network in Gwangju Metropolitan City. The nation's largest mobile carrier is planning to expand the use of eICIC in the country, and it is expected to be used in networks nationwide in the first half of next year.