The expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) services and the emergence of AI devices are driving a significant transformation in communication networks. Global telecommunications equipment companies are leading this shift by integrating AI into base stations.
According to industry sources on June 16, Ericsson recently introduced its "AI in RAN" solution, which directly applies AI models to base station basebands and radios. The company aims to enhance network performance and energy efficiency while transitioning to an AI-native network. Ericsson claims that this technology can improve download throughput by up to 20% and frequency efficiency by as much as 10%.
Nokia is also entering the AI-RAN competition. The company is leveraging cloud-based AI-RAN technology powered by NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) to build AI-native networks. Next month, Nokia will host an event titled "Network Innovation Towards the AI Supercycle," where it will unveil its AI-RAN technology strategy and vision for future networks.
The telecommunications industry is integrating AI into networks due to the surging demand for data. Technologies such as AI glasses, humanoid robots, and autonomous vehicles require real-time transmission of camera and sensor data, generating significantly more traffic than traditional mobile services.
A surge in uplink traffic is also anticipated. According to Shinhan Investment Corp., the proliferation of on-demand AI agents could lead to a 4.4-fold increase in uplink usage. In an "always-on AI" environment, uplink usage could rise by as much as 7.5 times.
The three major telecommunications companies in South Korea—SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus—are actively pursuing related technologies. SK Telecom is collaborating with Nokia and HFR to develop and validate various equipment structures for AI-RAN using NVIDIA GPU-based general-purpose servers.
KT also conducted the country’s first commercial verification of AI-RAN last year. LG Uplus is enhancing its AI-based platform, AION, aiming to establish a "fully autonomous network" by 2028, where AI will autonomously operate and analyze the network.
The three telecom companies are also working with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) to secure core AI-RAN technologies. The Ministry of Science and ICT has designated ETRI as a national research institute for the AI-RAN global leadership project and plans to support research and development worth 47 billion won by 2030.
Kim Aram, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., noted, "While traditional mobile traffic has been download-centric, the importance of uploads will increase in an AI environment. In the medium to long term, investments related to upgrading telecommunications networks will be essential."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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