KT and Samsung Electronics Launch World's First Nationwide Public Safety Network for National Disaster Response

World's First International Standard National Disaster Safety Communication Network Covering Land and Sea Launched
Disaster Network Operated Without Interruption Through Triple National Station Control Center and Dual Communication Equipment Redundancy

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] KT announced on the 26th that it has, together with Samsung Electronics, launched the world's first nationwide National Disaster Safety Communication Network.

The disaster safety communication network is a next-generation wireless communication network established under government leadership to efficiently prevent and respond to various large-scale disasters, including natural disasters. Through this, an integrated on-site command system can be secured when disasters occur, enabling close mutual cooperation among disaster response agencies.

The National Disaster Safety Communication Network built by KT and Samsung Electronics this time conforms to the disaster safety communication standard (PS-LTE Standard) established by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), an international wireless communication standardization cooperation organization. It is the world's first nationwide national disaster safety communication network covering the entire land and sea of the country. Since 2015, pilot projects and reinforcement projects have been underway, and in six years, the wireless communication networks of 333 national institutions across eight major sectors including police, fire services, defense, railroads, and local governments have been integrated into one.

In particular, the National Disaster Safety Communication Network applies a multi-network structure and technology to support rescue activities even in the worst disaster situations. The network control centers are tripled in Seoul, Daegu, and Jeju, and the equipment at each station is also duplicated, allowing uninterrupted operation through other equipment even if a specific device fails.

Additionally, to ensure smooth communication among on-site personnel even during traffic surges caused by disasters, eMBMS technology has been applied, enabling real-time communication among up to 2,500 terminals. This is more than twice the capacity of the existing TETRA method, which had a terminal connection limit of 1,200. It also supports direct communication between terminals, allowing communication among on-site personnel in areas where wireless base station connections are difficult, such as deep mountainous regions or underground.

KT plans to continuously develop the disaster safety network by utilizing intelligent disaster monitoring systems based on the Internet of Things (IoT), remote medical care, and rescue activities using 5G technology. Junho Kim, Head of Public and Financial Customer Division at KT Enterprise Division, said, “KT will strive to contribute to the stable operation and development of the nationwide National Disaster Safety Communication Network,” and added, “We will actively support the digital transformation and innovation of public services such as government disaster relief and public security.”

Seungil Kim, Executive Director of the Korea BM Group at Samsung Electronics’ Network Business Division, also said, “The introduction of the disaster safety communication network represents a major transformation of the public communication network system and will greatly contribute to protecting the lives and property of the people,” adding, “Samsung Electronics will continue to lead the standards in the disaster safety communication field and establish a permanent evolution system to drive the development of technology that benefits people.”

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