Public Wi-Fi in Parks and Bus Stops... 41,000 Additional Sites Nationwide to Be Established by 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Seolgina Jo] Free Wi-Fi available in public places such as parks and bus stops will be significantly expanded.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 20th that, as part of the Digital New Deal policy, it will additionally expand and establish 10,000 free Wi-Fi spots in public places frequently used by the public by the end of this year. A total of 41,000 spots will be added from 2020 to 2022. By year, 10,000 spots in 2020, 15,000 spots in 2021, and 16,000 spots in 2022 are planned.

Currently, the Ministry of Science and ICT operates free Wi-Fi in 18,000 public places to reduce household communication costs and strengthen information accessibility for local residents. Last year, 7,150 locations were established.

In particular, starting this year, the plan is to move away from indoor building installations and focus on outdoor living facilities mainly used by the public for hobbies and leisure activities, such as bus stops, small local parks, and sports facilities, to enhance convenience in daily life through a free data world. Additionally, 18,000 outdated public Wi-Fi APs installed before 2014 will be replaced with the latest equipment (Wi-Fi 6) within the year to improve service quality.

The Ministry of Science and ICT also plans to significantly strengthen the role and functions of the integrated management center to systematically manage and improve public Wi-Fi quality issues. After unifying the management, which was previously handled by construction contractors, at the center by the end of last year, the system has been linked with contractors’ systems to enable real-time monitoring of public Wi-Fi operational status and traffic conditions at the center.

Furthermore, Wi-Fi independently established and operated by local governments will also be linked to the center to prevent redundant installations, manage quality, and respond to complaints in an integrated manner, thereby enhancing public trust in public Wi-Fi.

Heo Seong-wook, Director of Information Security and Network Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Public Wi-Fi, which allows free and unlimited data use, has become an essential means for everyone to enjoy non-face-to-face services amid the expanding remote education and telecommuting during the COVID-19 spread phase, highlighting its importance even more.” He added, “We will steadily promote the establishment of 41,000 new public Wi-Fi spots by 2022 to create an environment where the public can freely use data anywhere in public places they use daily.”

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