KT said on the 3rd that it successfully completed phase two demonstrations of the Korean urban air mobility (K-UAM) Grand Challenge led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The demonstration verified integrated UAM operations conducted in an urban environment. The company said, "Through the demonstration, we showed the stability of the integrated traffic management system and the core infrastructure for urban air mobility operations, the 5G aviation network."
KT, as part of the K-UAM One Team with Hyundai Motor, Hyundai E&C, Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), and Korean Air, conducted the demonstration along a 15-kilometer section of the Ara Waterway from Gyeyang to Cheongna in Incheon. In this demonstration, KT focused on the stability of the integrated traffic management system—including KT's self-developed UAM traffic management system (UATM), standard operating procedures (SOP) for UAM traffic management established through simulations, the core infrastructure 5G aviation network, and an information-sharing system that distributes and links flight data—under a complex urban environment.
KT carried out the demonstration by realistically simulating not only normal flights but also various unexpected situations such as sudden communication loss, unstable GPS signals, and the appearance of unanticipated aircraft. KT confirmed that the traffic management system detects and analyzes abnormal situations in real time, enabling traffic managers to respond immediately and accurately. This proved the real-time responsiveness and stability of UAM traffic management even in complex urban environments with many variables.
KT also performed real-time track surveillance by integrating various monitoring technologies such as RTK-GNSS, KASS, ADS-B, and MLAT based on a dedicated UAM 5G aviation network in the 800 MHz band. As a result, it recorded a near-100% successful transmission reception rate in communications between the traffic management system and the aircraft, confirming that accurate communication among stakeholders enables safe operations and efficient traffic management.
Based on the 5G aviation network, KT delivered clear voice call quality even along air routes at altitudes of 300 to 600 meters, significantly improving the accuracy of real-time communication between pilots and traffic managers. This takes into account characteristics different from the existing air traffic system used at higher altitudes and in open airspace.
The company said it also achieved a reduction of the flight approval process from the existing four steps to one step through real-time processing of flight data via the 5G aviation network. This is evaluated as an important verification result showing that a 5G-based operation system can run quickly and smoothly even in a high-density environment where multiple UAMs operate simultaneously in the future.
In addition, the information-sharing system is designed to record clear sources and collection times for all collected data, enabling precise traceability. This enhances data reliability and lays the foundation for future in-depth analysis and policy and operational decision-making.
This demonstration is the first case proving that to add essential stability and precision to the complex low-altitude urban operating environment, UAM-specific 5G Network and surveillance technologies must be integrated into the existing air traffic management (ATM) system, showing that 5G technology has established itself as a core foundational technology for UAM commercialization and safe operations.
KT plans to continue advancing UAM communication and surveillance technologies based on data obtained from demonstrations and to focus on establishing the 5G aviation network as the standard infrastructure for urban air routes at the stage of UAM commercialization.
Won Man-ho, senior vice president and head of Experience Engineering, Technology Innovation Division at KT, said, "This demonstration is a meaningful achievement that showed unwavering performance and stability of KT's traffic management system and the 5G aviation network even under the demanding conditions of a real urban environment."