KT Achieves 10Mbps 5G Satellite Communication Breakthrough

Seoul, South Korea—KT Corp (NYSE: KT) demonstrated 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) communication technology, which addresses radio wave delays in satellite communications, in collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz Korea and Viavi Solutions Korea.

The demonstration achieved 10Mbps transmission efficiency across 35,800km between a geostationary orbit satellite and terminal equipment, enabling Full HD video transmission without using Hybrid Automatic Repeat request (HARQ) retransmission techniques.

The company calculated path loss between satellites and terminals based on varying distances in free space propagation environments.

The technology development follows KT's September integration test with the Mugunghwa-6 satellite, which identified a reduction in throughput when ground terminal to satellite altitude distances exceeded specified ranges.

KT will display the test results at Mobile World Congress 2025 in March.

The 5G NTN technology, defined in 3GPP Release 17 and completed in 2022, aims to expand coverage beyond South Korea's terrestrial area through Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS).