Government: "Telecom Operators Will Implement 28㎓ Base Station Deployment as Promised"

Heo Seong-wook, Director of Network Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT
Announced at Back Briefing on the 28th
Minister Im Hye-sook - First Meeting with CEOs of the Three Major Telecom Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The government announced that its plan to build 15,000 base stations for the 28 gigahertz (GHz) band 5th generation (5G) network by the three major mobile carriers in 2021 remains unchanged.

On the afternoon of the 28th, Heo Seong-wook, Director of the Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated at a back briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, "We expect the telecom operators to carry out the construction of 28 GHz base stations as originally promised."

Heo added a caveat, saying, "However, it seems to vary depending on technical characteristics, gaps between academia and equipment manufacturers, device issues, and base station problems."

This back briefing was arranged following the first meeting between Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the representatives of the three telecom companies. Minister Lim and the three representatives discussed measures to revitalize 5G and agreed to promote a pilot project for subway Wi-Fi service based on 28 GHz backhaul. The three telecom companies will also carry out 10 pilot projects in the media and content sectors.

The three telecom companies cite technical difficulties as a common challenge related to the 28 GHz band. Director Heo explained, "They mentioned difficulties such as narrow coverage and ecosystem issues," adding, "There are also concerns regarding subway verification and device-related matters."

To activate the 28 GHz band, the government has been operating a 5G task force (TF) since March, consisting of the three mobile carriers, Samsung Electronics, and other equipment manufacturers. This is because the carriers, responsible for post-quality management, tend to maintain a conservative stance, sometimes showing disagreements with manufacturers.

Director Heo said, "There was significant conflict between the three carriers and Samsung Electronics at the start," adding, "I recall Samsung was involved in the third joint demonstration, and much progress has been made."

Meanwhile, Minister Lim Hye-sook stated, "With the acceleration of non-face-to-face and digital transformation due to COVID-19, the importance of 5G networks is being highlighted," and added, "As 5G subscribers increase, social interest and expectations for 5G coverage and quality are rising. Please make every effort to expand 5G coverage, improve quality, and activate 28 GHz 5G."

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