KT said on Monday it verified wireless network autonomous operations technology with Samsung Electronics at Suwon KT Wiz Park using the digital twin platform 'AI Cell Twin'.

AI Cell Twin is KT's network digital twin platform that implements a real wireless network in a virtual space. It recreates users' mobile usage patterns and traffic changes in a virtual environment, allowing various network operation options to be tested in advance.

The wireless network autonomous operations technology jointly developed by KT and Samsung Electronics uses AI Cell Twin to let AI derive optimal network operating options, verify them in a virtual environment and then apply them to the actual telecommunications network. It is designed to decide operating options by comprehensively analysing user distribution and usage patterns, network conditions and perceived quality.

The companies conducted the technology trial at Suwon KT Wiz Park for about three months starting in July. Baseball stadiums are characterised by sharp changes in wireless data usage as large crowds pack in. KT said that makes them a suitable environment to verify network optimisation technology.

After applying the technology in KT Wiz Park home games, traffic concentrated on a specific base station was dispersed to nearby base stations. Traffic imbalance between base stations improved by up to 34 percent and the load concentrated on a specific base station fell by up to 16 percent. AI Cell Twin's forecasts also closely matched data observed in the actual wireless network.

Jin-guk Jung (정진국), head of the Next Generation Communication Research Center at Samsung Research and a vice president, said the companies developed technology that can apply optimisation measures to a live network through prior verification using a digital twin. He said they would continue to lead network innovation with future communications technology that improves both network operation efficiency and users' perceived quality.

Jong-sik Lee (이종식), head of the Future Network Lab in KT's network division and an executive director, said the trial confirmed the feasibility of applying AI Cell Twin-based autonomous operations technology to commercial networks. He said KT would build an autonomous operations network that responds proactively to changing network environments and provides customers with better communications quality.