"2nd Anniversary of 5G Commercialization, Marking the First Year of the 5G+ Convergence Ecosystem"

'5G+ Industrial Ecosystem' and '5G Network' Among Total 7 Policy Council Full Meetings Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] To mark the 2nd anniversary of the world's first commercialization of 5G mobile communication, the government is promoting the full-scale launch of 5G convergence services to create the world's best 5G convergence ecosystem and accelerate the achievement of Digital New Deal outcomes.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) held a plenary meeting of the seven-sector policy council at The-K Hotel Seoul to reorganize the driving force of the 5G+ strategy and enhance the execution power of key tasks.

Since the world's first commercialization of 5G on April 3, 2019, the number of domestic 5G subscribers was recorded at approximately 13.66 million as of the end of February. The previously criticized perceived quality is also improving. Currently, the three major telecom operators are building 5G base stations at a speed 3.1 times faster than the original construction plan stated in the frequency utilization plan. The UK research firm Omdia evaluated that "Korea leads in 5G frequency availability, commercial service, coverage, subscriber numbers, and ecosystem policies."

Moreover, as telecom companies accelerate the development and distribution of 5G immersive content services, export achievements have continued mainly in Asia. LG Uplus recently succeeded in exporting 5G solutions and content worth $11.14 million (approximately 12.6 billion KRW) to AIS, Thailand's largest telecom operator. Starting with China in 2019, this is the fifth export to Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and others, with a cumulative amount reaching $22 million (approximately 24.8 billion KRW).

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 5G convergence services are rapidly being discovered and spread in areas such as digital healthcare. Yongin Severance Hospital, in cooperation with SK Telecom, implemented Korea's first digital innovation hospital equipped with advanced 5G-based medical systems and equipment.

The government aims to build a nationwide network by next year and is promoting 5G deployment this year in 85 major administrative districts, transportation networks, and multi-use facilities within the daily radius of citizens. Additionally, plans to establish a joint 5G network usage scheme among telecom operators within this month are underway to enable early 5G access in rural and fishing villages. Furthermore, the three major telecom companies and MVNOs will offer diverse and affordable 5G plans, significantly expanding consumer choice for 5G services.

To continuously strengthen these achievements, the policy councils in each sector include related ministries, industry (5G suppliers and users), academia, research institutes, and related professional organizations, and are operated with support from IITP, the dedicated 5G+ agency. In particular, the policy councils will serve as a hub for providing and spreading 5G convergence services, moving beyond demonstrations to full-scale service launches and taking responsibility for actual diffusion.

Cho Kyung-sik, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said in an encouragement speech, "Since the world's first commercialization of 5G, much effort has been made, and now is the time to work even harder," emphasizing that "the flawless implementation of the five key tasks under the 2021 5G+ strategy promotion plan is crucial."

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