The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on January 28 that it successfully developed a technology to let devices directly communicate with each other without using base stations.
The new technology is a device-to-device communications method using LTE-advanced networks. Direct communication is made possible after one device detects the other in close proximity. Through direct communication, improvement in communication speed and security, as well as a reduction in communication delays are expected.
This method enables people to find friends or stores nearby. It can also prevent children from going missing by alerting the concerned adults. When a baby tries to get out of a certain area selected by parents or guardians, they can be notified. Thus a baby’s safety can be guaranteed.
In addition, users’ telecommunication costs can be reduced, helped by the reduced usage of wireless resources.
ETRI predicts that it will be possible to use the technology in emergency communication, communication between cars, robots, and games, along with crime prevention.