KT said on March 15 it will operate an intensive network management system to provide stable communications services ahead of a large-scale concert to be held on March 21 at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square.

KT deployed 6 mobile base stations around Gwanghwamun Square and City Hall Square, where the concert will take place, and newly built 79 wireless base stations and 14 Wi-Fi units. The steps aim to secure stable communications quality even in event settings where large crowds gather.

On the day of the concert, it will run an emergency duty system centered on the Gwacheon Network Control Center. It will monitor two-way traffic such as uploads and downloads in real time and respond immediately if unexpected variables arise. It will also deploy additional network specialists on site, totaling about 80 people, including about 40 engineers.

KT will also apply an AI-based automatic traffic control solution, W-SDN (Wireless Software Defined Network), that automatically controls base station overload to prepare for sharp increases in wireless traffic caused by SNS uploads or personal live broadcasts.

W-SDN is an AI-based network operations technology that monitors network traffic in real time, detects and analyzes signs of base station overload in advance, and enables automatic control within 1 minute. It supports stable network operations even in large-scale concert or event environments by evenly distributing frequency resources and automatically adjusting base station output.

KT also secured backbone network capacity in advance, increased from normal levels, to prepare for a rise in high-definition, large-volume streaming traffic from live broadcasts worldwide. It plans to provide a network environment that allows overseas viewers as well as viewers in South Korea to watch the concert without interruption.

Oh Taek-kyun (오택균), head of KT's Network Operations Innovation Division and an executive director, said providing stable communications services is a telecom operator's core role even in environments where traffic surges, such as large-scale concerts or global live broadcasts. He said KT will strengthen its response capabilities so it can provide stable network services anytime and anywhere using AI-based network operations technologies.