SK Telecom (SKT) and Nokia agreed to work on fibre sensing, a wired network technology that employs AI to monitor the environment around optical cables, with the goal of a nationwide deployment in South Korea this year.

The two companies signed an agreement, with the plan to “accumulate empirical data based on machine learning” from SKT’s commercial network.

In a joint statement, the pair explained when data runs through an optical cable, the phase of the light can change due to various factors like temperature fluctuations or physical strain on the cable. The changes can be detected and analysed to provide precise measurements of the environmental conditions affecting the fibre.

Using AI-based technology, SKT and Nokia aim to stabilise fibre networks in advance by tracking the impact of weather conditions and construction on optical cables.

The statement added fibre sensing has no distance limitations, unlike some existing wired network monitoring technologies, making it possible to quickly apply the new technology to major backbone networks.