Korean Telecom Company KT Demos Battery-Saving Tech on 5G Network
KT, a Korean telecom provider, has tested the use of a new technology that may help users of 5G networks conserve their phone batteries. Termed CDRX (Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception) the technology aims to put handsets to sleep if no incoming communication happens. The premise is that the handset will turn off its 5G reception and periodically check for new incoming transmissions. The result would be a longer battery life since the 5G connection isn’t continuously checking for message updates.
KT has utilized the technology on the newly released series of Samsung devices. The Galaxy Note 10, Note 10 Plus and the S10 5G model all support the function. The company has moved to synchronize this function with these particular handsets on their 5G network. The results released by the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) showed an increase in the battery life of the Note 10 5G by up to four hours and twenty-one minutes.
A Stopgap Measure for Increased Battery Life
The results are impressive, and KT announced a series of other tests it performed with connected Samsung devices. Devices that had CDRX applied to them had battery lives that ranged from ten to eleven hours on average. The battery life of the machines was extended by approximately 65%. KT is the second largest network in South Korea and first applied the technology to its systems in 2017.
The values shown suggest that CDRX could come as welcome boon to heavy users of cell phones, allowing their battery life to be extended at the expense of continual connectivity. However, it remains a stopgap measure at best. The solution to the problem is to develop better battery technology that can run these 5G handsets over more extended periods. With the massive connections speeds the 5G system boasts, users will likely be utilizing the mobile networks far more widely than they did on 3G and 4G. CDRX is indeed useful technology, but it doesn’t extend the life of the battery, it just works around the limitations of the existing hardware.
