[Courtesy of ETRI]
SEOUL -- A South Korean state research institute has developed a new technology which enables a seamless connection between WiFi and 5G networks. With the new technology, mobile users can enjoy large data contents such as video and games without the worry of losing connection when switching from a mobile network to a WiFi network or another way around.
Currently, a mobile user should go through a heckle of switching smartphone data modes manually between WiFi and other networks. The process is not smoothly done, creating a series of stutter which many mobile users find annoying.
South Korean tech companies including KT have launched a joint project led by the state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) to develop a core technology for a smooth connection between WiFi and 5G.
"The application of this technology will be vital in the era of 5G," the institute said in a statement. When a device is connected to both WiFi and 5G, the new technology disperses data traffic through optimized accessing points and decide when to switch from a network to another without creating a stutter.
"Our technology is faster than any other standards organization," an ETRI official said, adding the institute has a chance to head start in the race to win global standardization with its technology. ETRI promised to begin the standardizing process in June and finish it by 2020.
Wi-Fi compatible devices can connect to the Internet via a WLAN and a wireless access point. Such an access point or hotspot has a range of about 20 meters (66 feet) indoors. Hotspot coverage can be as small as a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many square kilometers by using multiple overlapping access points.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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