The 4th Industrial Revolution Turning Point... Data Usage Increased by 2300% After 5G Commercialization

2020 4th Industrial Revolution Index

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Since the commercialization of 5G mobile communication last year, data usage has increased by over 2300% in one year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 24th the '2020 4th Industrial Revolution Indicators,' which show the current status of the advancement of data, network, and artificial intelligence (D.N.A.), the foundation of the 4th Industrial Revolution, as well as innovation in industry and national infrastructure.

First, the data industry market, known as the crude oil of the digital economy era, grew to 15.5684 trillion KRW as of 2018, an 8.5% increase compared to the previous year. The number of data-related workers reached 89,058 in 2019, up 7.8% from the previous year. The number of public data openings, which will expand through the Digital New Deal, increased by 5,064 to 33,996 cases compared to the previous year. Additionally, as of June, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) service subscriptions reached 26.07 million, a 21.6% increase from the previous year.

Since the commercialization of 5G in April last year, the number of subscribers surpassed 7.85 million in July. 5G data usage (traffic) also reached 144,000 terabytes (TB, as of April), showing an expanding trend in 5G usage. Furthermore, the usage rate of OTT services provided via internet networks reached 52.0% (2019), confirming diversification in media consumption patterns.

Sales in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector reached 290 billion KRW last year, growing 11.5% compared to the previous year, maintaining a growth trend. The number of AI training data usages also reached approximately 38,000 times (cumulative as of August), indicating progress toward smarter AI. The cumulative number of AI speakers sold through the three mobile carriers reached 8.61 million units, a 45.7% increase from the previous year. As part of the Korean New Deal, the number of core AI and software talents to be trained this year is expected to reach 10,000. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to train a total of 100,000 personnel by 2025 to further solidify the foundation of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Digital transformation across industries is also progressing rapidly. The number of companies developing and utilizing 4th Industrial Revolution technologies reached 1,500 in 2018, a 47.9% increase from the previous year.

In the medical sector, the cumulative number of hospitals participating in electronic exchange of medical information between medical institutions, which safely shares patient treatment information to minimize patient inconvenience, reached 4,339, showing a significant increase of 87.3% compared to the previous year. As for smart factories, 12,660 were established by December last year.

In the mobility sector, precision road maps for autonomous vehicles were built covering 6,700 km, a 284.8% increase from the previous year. The number of vehicles granted temporary operation permits for autonomous driving increased by 31 to 93. The number of R&D specialists in autonomous vehicles also rose by 27.2% to 201 (as of 2019).

Additionally, regarding drones (smart unmanned vehicles), which are increasingly utilized in various fields such as non-face-to-face logistics and quarantine, the number of certified pilots reached 32,667, and the number of drones (subject to registration) was 13,234 as of June. These figures represent increases of 66.6% and 41.7%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

In the financial sector, the number of accounts and subscribers of internet-only banks such as KakaoBank and K Bank reached 24 million accounts and 13.27 million people, growing 50.0% and 34.2% respectively from the previous year. The average daily usage of simple payment and remittance services was 383.3 billion KRW (January to September 2019), a 70.0% increase compared to 225.5 billion KRW in 2018. This is expected to increase further due to social distancing measures. Additionally, in the agriculture and fisheries sector, smart aquaculture and smart farms utilizing information and communication technology are expanding.

Jang Seok-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "We ask for the interest and cooperation of the public so that the Digital New Deal can play a catalytic role and successfully respond to the 4th Industrial Revolution." The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continuously advance the 4th Industrial Revolution indicators to better reflect the outcomes of major policies responding to the 4th Industrial Revolution, including the Digital New Deal.

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