Why 'Novel Coronavirus' Communication Roaming Tracking Failed to Work

Recorded Only by Telecommunication Roaming Country Codes, No Area Codes... Limits Route Tracking
Difficult to Verify Information of Foreigners Using Overseas Carriers or Local SIMs
Triggered by COVID-19 Spread... Need to Establish a Global Quarantine Platform

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] As the 'Novel Coronavirus Infection' (Wuhan Pneumonia), which originated in the Wuhan (武漢) region of China, spreads worldwide, interest in quarantine systems using communication roaming is also increasing in the ICT industry.

However, roaming information only reveals the visited country, and for foreigners using overseas telecom operators, it is impossible to track their movement, limiting its use as a quarantine system. There are calls for a more comprehensive global ICT quarantine network to address these issues.

According to the industry on the 9th, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is utilizing roaming information of arrivals from China provided by the three major telecom companies?SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus?to track active surveillance targets for the novel coronavirus.

However, there are many technical limitations to using telecom data for quarantine and prevention at present. First, roaming uses a single country code, so regional distinctions are not possible. It is impossible to specifically track the Wuhan area in Hubei Province, China, where the novel coronavirus outbreak occurred. In fact, while the KCDC used telecom roaming data to track active surveillance targets for infectious diseases, only the country code was available, so they relied more heavily on reservation information, immigration data, and passport information.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

People who use local SIM cards instead of mobile carrier roaming are not detected through domestic telecom roaming. Since their location cannot be identified, it is impossible to confirm whether they visited high-risk areas. Another limitation is that the entry of foreigners who do not use domestic telecom operators cannot be verified through the services of the three major Korean mobile carriers. For example, the 12th confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection traveled through Seoul, Bucheon, and Gangneung, raising concerns about a 'super spreader,' but was confirmed to be a 49-year-old Chinese male foreigner.

Due to these issues, there are also calls for the introduction of a Global Epidemic Prevention Platform (GEPP). The idea is that the world should cooperate to create a network using communication technology to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. KT, which first proposed the introduction of GEPP, has requested cooperation and support from member countries through the World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum).

An industry official said, "Telecom companies can utilize vast amounts of subscriber information as big data, including call records, location, search information, movement paths, application purchases, and payment details. Among these, information related to infectious diseases has high potential for use in terms of public health and safety," adding, "The spread of the novel coronavirus should prompt more active discussions on a global platform."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.