SK Telecom announced on the 26th that it will showcase network technologies that enhance the value of mobile communication networks using AI at the 'MWC25 (Mobile World Congress 2025)', which opens in Barcelona, Spain, on March 3 (local time).
Mobile communication infrastructure is evolving to provide both communication services and AI inference simultaneously, in line with advancements in AI. International organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the AI-RAN Alliance, are accelerating research on AI base stations (AI-RAN) that provide AI workloads, and are also showing interest in technologies that handle AI services using on-device AI.
SK Telecom will demonstrate the 'AI base station (AI-RAN)' technology that enables the provision of both communication and AI services by applying various chipsets, including GPUs, to general-purpose servers at this MWC exhibition. This is a method for implementing communication services and AI workloads simultaneously at AI base stations.
Communication base stations secure spare resources under normal conditions to prepare for peak traffic, and the AI base station allocates these spare resources for AI inference services and others. This helps maximize the efficiency of AI services. The exhibition will also include a technology that integrates and manages distributed AI infrastructure at edge AI stations to provide customers with an AI service environment (AI Orchestrator) and a network quality improvement case using AI-based network analysis functionality (NWDAF).
SK Telecom will introduce the 'AI routing' technology that reduces the load on servers required for AI services by processing simple AI tasks with on-device AI. This technology determines in real-time which entity, a server equipped with a massive language model (LLM) or a device equipped with a small language model (SLM), can achieve optimal inference performance and allocates the service provider.
Customers can experience the advantages of on-device AI, such as low latency, while maintaining service quality, which also benefits AI service providers by reducing server load and increasing operational efficiency. SK Telecom will share updates on the research status of 'Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC),' a next-generation mobile communication technology that is drawing attention at this MWC.
ISAC is a technology that collects information about the surrounding environment using radio signals. It analyzes the degree to which communication frequency signals transmitted from base stations or devices are reflected by human bodies or objects, enabling precise detection of the surroundings.
As a new technology that integrates communication and sensing functions, it can be applied in various fields such as public safety and industrial automation in mobile communication networks. International standard organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), are also paying attention to it as a goal service for 6G.
SK Telecom has prepared a demonstration that detects visitors passing in front of base station equipment installed inside the exhibition hall using ISAC technology. The detected individuals’ appearances and behaviors can be utilized for purposes such as intrusion detection, health monitoring, and public safety.
Ryu Tak-ki, head of infrastructure technology at SK Telecom, noted, 'As we have presented the evolution direction of networks converging communication and AI through the 6G white paper, we plan to showcase advanced technologies related to AI-enabled wired and wireless infrastructure that add new value to infrastructure at this MWC.'