The Three Major Telecom Operators Ahead of the First 5G Quality Evaluation Launch 5G Service in Subway (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] From now on, it will be possible to enjoy 5G services in the subway that are more than 10 times faster than LTE. This is the result of the three mobile carriers jointly building services starting with the subway, the "citizens' feet," so that the public can experience 5G services and shed the label of "unreliable 5G."

On the 23rd, according to the three mobile carriers and the Ministry of Science and ICT, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus jointly built 5G facilities on all subway lines in Gwangju Metropolitan City in January and started service opening, and have completed the opening of 5G facilities on non-metropolitan lines such as Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, and Busan. This includes 1 line in Gwangju, 2 lines in Daegu, 1 line in Daejeon, and 4 lines in Busan.

The opening of Seoul Metropolitan Area Line 9 has also been completed. For Line 2, except for some sections undergoing environmental improvement construction such as City Hall Station, 5G services will be available on the entire circular line starting next month. The three mobile carriers plan to sequentially build 5G equipment on the remaining lines by mid-next year.

Before the opening of 5G on subway lines, Vice Minister Jang Seok-young inspected the construction site with the three mobile carriers at Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station in Seoul at 12:50 a.m. during late-night hours.

Installing 5G networks inside subways involves difficult preliminary work in dark tunnels, and equipment can only be installed during early morning hours when operations are suspended for safety reasons, which takes relatively more time. Due to the characteristics of 5G frequencies requiring more base stations than LTE, the equipment was installed more densely at an average interval of 150 to 200 meters per subway lane.

An industry official said, "Actual working hours are about 2 to 3 hours a day," and added, "To complete construction between subway stations, it is necessary to carry repeaters and equipment down tunnels up to 55 meters deep more than 12 to 18 times on average," explaining the difficulties during the construction process. The three mobile carriers reduced the time required for network construction by dividing the joint construction by each line and station, where the lead company completes the foundational work and then both the lead and participating companies install and interconnect their respective base station equipment.

Jang Seok-young, 2nd Vice Minister of Science and ICT, conducting an on-site inspection

This is a measure to enhance public experience by promoting the construction of the "data highway" 5G network, a core of the Digital New Deal, in densely populated areas such as subways. Earlier, Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT met with the CEOs of the three mobile carriers to discuss investment plans aimed at nationwide 5G network construction by 2022. This year, 5G equipment will be focused on installation in multi-use facilities, subways, and major sections of highways centered on Seoul and six major metropolitan cities.

In particular, this on-site inspection attracted attention as it was conducted just before the first quality evaluation, which is crucial for the mobile carriers' "5G leadership." The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to release the results of the "first half 5G quality evaluation" targeting Seoul and six major metropolitan cities at the end of this month or early next month. Evaluation factors include whether 5G service is provided, call quality, and LTE conversion rate.

At the site, Vice Minister Jang, who directly measured 5G quality, said, "5G is the core infrastructure of the 'data highway' and the most important foundation of the Digital New Deal," adding, "Through focused investment, we will expand coverage not only in subways but also in places where the public can experience 5G services, and strive to create various 5G services."

An official from the telecommunications industry emphasized, "In the post-COVID era, we plan to focus on expanding the '5G data highway,'" and added, "We will do our best to contribute to economic innovation by concentrating not only on expanding 5G infrastructure but also on technological advancement and the development of innovative 5G services."

The number of domestic 5G subscribers is estimated to be around 7.4 million as of June.

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