Communications (South Korea Market)

• South Korea

2023

South Korea's largest mobile operator admits failed 5G network launch

In mid-August 2023, SK Telecom, South Korea's largest mobile operator, released a document according to which the commercial launch of 5G networks was far from as successful as industry participants predicted. Read more here.

South Korea has developed a roadmap in the field of 6G networks

On February 20, 2023, the government South Korea announced a plan for the development of sixth generation mobile networks (). 6G It is said that such services, providing the highest data transfer rates, will begin to be deployed in 2028.

The country's Minister of Science and Information and Communication Technologies (MSIT) Lee Jong-ho called on South Korean technology firms to lead the global development of 6G systems. The government intends to encourage local businesses and organisations that design and manufacture components for next-generation communication networks. The key technologies leading up to the 6G implementation are expected to be ready by 2026. The plan was unveiled at the Samsung Electronics Research Campus in Seoul, where specialists from LG Electronics, three mobile operators, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the Korean Network Industry Association were present.

South Korea has developed a roadmap in the field of 6G networks

The initiative implies that South Korean companies will actively standardize 6G technologies. One of the areas of work is called extreme MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) tools - a method of spatial coding of a signal that allows increasing bandwidth. In addition, a cloud network platform based on artificial intelligence is being prepared, the hardware of which will use South Korean chips. Approximately in 2027, the country intends to launch its first low-orbit communication satellite.

In total, South Korea intends to spend approximately $481 million on research and development related to the 6G network core. The main work will be carried out either through commercial projects or through public-private partnerships. In 2024, a system for testing and checking software-defined network equipment will be introduced.^[1]

2021

South Korean ICT exports up 24% to $227.6 billion

The export of information and communication technologies (ICT) from South Korea in 2021 reached a record $227.6 billion, an increase of 24% compared to 2020. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technologies of the country (MTIE), published on January 12, 2022. Read more here.

South Korea massively complains about slow 5G Internet

At the end of March 2021, it became known that about a thousand users 5G-Internet of them South Korea intend to file a lawsuit against the country's telecom operators. The lawsuit could be brought against three major South Korean operators, SK Telecom KT LG and Uplus, which have failed to deliver the proper quality of services related to 5G networks.

Local news agency Yonhap reports that each of the customers is demanding at least 1 million won ($885) in compensation for poor communication quality. Users who contacted the law firm Joowon claim that the data transfer rate on the new equipment leaves much to be desired, and in some cases worse than when used. 4G LTE In addition, users note unreliable coverage limited to large cities.

Back in October 2020, a member of the Committee on Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Hong Jung-min drew attention to the problem.

In South Korea, 5G Internet users complain en masse about the quality of communication

Changing the tariff plan is a troublesome procedure, but consumers nevertheless go for it and terminate 5G contracts due to poor communication quality, insufficient coverage and high prices. Operators need to improve 5G quality to retain their customers.

In January 2021, almost 1 million people signed up for 5G services in South Korea, bringing the total number of subscribers to 12.87 million. Operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are working to upgrade technology to provide autonomous 5G networks as current services depend on the availability of previously laid 4G LTE networks. In general, operators plan to invest 25.7 trillion won by 2022 to develop 5G infrastructure throughout the country.

It is known that as of November 2020, these telecom operators have deployed 166,250 5G base stations, which is 19% of the number of 4G base stations. Operators promised 5G download speeds 20 times higher than 4G LTE, but in 2020 it turned out that this figure increased at best only 4 times.^[2]

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