LG Uplus, Yonsei University verify seamless network handover for physical AI devices

LG Uplus and Yonsei University have verified technology that keeps devices connected even as they switch between networks in an AI-based radio access network environment, with the company saying the achievement positions it to lead the era of physical AI.

LG Uplus announced Wednesday that it had jointly verified AI-RAN network handover technology with Yonsei University. AI-RAN is a next-generation wireless network technology in which AI optimizes network conditions in real time. By predicting potential drops in service quality in advance and allocating network resources more efficiently, it is considered one of the core network technologies for the 6G era.

LG Uplus said the verification is well suited to the physical AI era. Physical AI technology centers on AI that perceives and assesses its surroundings and carries out tasks by moving through real-world spaces — robots and drones that navigate and work autonomously are prime examples.

LG Uplus said seamless connectivity across changing networks is essential for such devices, because robots and drones moving beyond fixed spaces such as factories or logistics centers must hand off between different networks as they travel.

The two sides conducted the verification by linking LG Uplus's 5G network with an AI-RAN test network independently developed by Yonsei University and built on Nvidia GPUs.

The two sides simulated scenarios in which physical AI devices such as robots and drones moved from the AI-RAN test network onto the 5G network, and vice versa. They confirmed that a device can automatically select the optimal network in response to changing wireless conditions and maintain its connection throughout. The verification used the PM95 terminal made by Point Mobile, a company specializing in industrial mobile devices.

LG Uplus said the exercise was significant because it proactively verified core technologies that will be needed when AI-RAN reaches commercial deployment.

Building on the verification, LG Uplus plans to help foster a domestic AI-RAN ecosystem. Together with Yonsei University, it will provide an environment where domestic small and medium-sized enterprises can directly test and validate AI-RAN-related technologies, and will also support use of that environment as a testbed for companies seeking to expand overseas.

LG Uplus and Yonsei University plan to continue joint research into network technologies needed for next-generation AI-based services, as well as further AI-RAN technology verification.

"As physical AI technology advances, networks must also evolve to analyze their environment on their own and deliver optimal quality," said Lee Sang-heon, head of network advanced development at LG Uplus. "LG Uplus will continue to enhance wireless network technology using AI and provide the stable connectivity and quality that future industrial services require."

Kim Seong-ryun, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Yonsei University, said 6G mobile communications would develop to be designed around AI and to support AI-driven applications. "This verification is a meaningful example of industry-academia collaboration confirming that physical AI services can maintain connectivity as they move from an AI-RAN-based test network into a commercial mobile network," he said.