[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee] KT verified AI-based urban air mobility (UAM) traffic management technology and the feasibility of operating 5G and satellite communications networks in island areas of Incheon.

KT said on Oct. 21 it completed a public UAM demonstration in Incheon island areas with Incheon Metropolitan City, the Aerospace Industry-Academia Convergence Institute and the K-UAM One Team.

The K-UAM One Team is a partnership comprising KT, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Incheon International Airport Corp and Korean Air. Working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, it applied integrated operations capabilities built through the 'K-UAM Grand Challenge' to routes linking Geojeompoh and Wangsan Marina on Yeongjongdo and Deokjeokdo.

The demonstration focused on detailing public UAM operating routes to improve transportation access for residents in island areas and confirming operational feasibility through actual flights. It also checked an urban air data distribution system that shares flight operation information among related agencies.

KT said the test was the first public UAM demonstration conducted in island areas in South Korea. It said the test confirmed the potential use of UAM as a new means of mobility to complement existing ship-based transport.

KT operated its self-developed 'UAM agent-based traffic management AI transformation (AX) platform' in a real island and overwater flight environment by linking it with a 5G and satellite hybrid aviation network. The UAM agent analyzes flight plans, aircraft location, weather information and the operating status of vertiports, which are takeoff and landing facilities, using AI. It proposes appropriate departure and arrival times and presents response measures by situation.

KT also confirmed communications network stability. KT built a hybrid communications system combining an 800 MHz UAM-dedicated 5G aviation network and satellite communications. In a demonstration conducted with KT SAT, it recorded a 100 percent communications success rate in transmitting aircraft location information to the traffic management platform across the entire flight section. It also supported real-time voice communications between pilots and traffic management personnel over the sea, confirming track monitoring and stable network operations.

Won Man-ho (원만호), head of KT's AX Platform Division, said, "This demonstration is an achievement that confirmed the possibility of a public UAM operating model to solve regional transportation problems." He added, "Based on the UAM traffic management AX platform and the 5G and satellite hybrid aviation network, we will lead the expansion and commercialization of public UAM services."