"To Trace COVID-19 Infection Routes, Utilization of Telecom Roaming Must Be Increased"

Byeon Hyeong-gyun, KT Executive Director of AI Big Data Business
"Solving Global Social Issues with ICT Technology... Need for Global Expansion of GEPP"
Route Identification Possible Using Base Station Information from Telecom Operators Worldwide... Korea-China-Japan Cooperation Needed
Privacy Can Be Protected if Activated Only During Pandemics

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Mobile phone location tracking is also used to trace the movement of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). More precisely, it is the 'GPS information of the base stations' contacted by the telecom subscribers. The three major telecom companies have 832,380 base stations nationwide (based on LTE). If a confirmed patient used a phone and was in an area with 4G coverage, latitude and longitude coordinates can be identified within 150 to 200 meters. Card payment and CCTV information are also utilized together. According to the "Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act," such information can be obtained by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency without individual consent.

The problem lies in tracing the movements of nationals abroad. Even if roaming information is used, only the visited country can be identified. This is why it is difficult to initially identify individuals subject to active monitoring. Foreigners entering the country also pose a challenge. Since they use foreign telecom operators, it is difficult to quickly trace whether they have visited contaminated areas. This is why KT, which has long proposed global infectious disease prevention (GEPP) to the international community, emphasizes the need for Korea, China, and Japan to strengthen joint cooperation in infectious disease prevention amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Tracing Infection Routes Possible Through Base Station Exchange Information of Telecom Operators in Each Country... Cooperation Needed Among Korea, China, and Japan

"If Korea, China, and Japan at least share infection route information through telecommunications, it would help prevent the spread of infectious diseases." This idea is based on the GEPP platform introduced by KT. Byun Hyung-kyun, Executive Director in charge of AI Big Data Business at KT, who leads the practical work of the GEPP project, said, "In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is necessary to utilize the quarantine network through telecommunications. If Korea and its neighboring countries China and Japan adopt and share this system together, it would be effective in preventing infectious diseases."

GEPP is a global expansion of the "Smart Quarantine System," which KT built together with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT since 2017, and in which SK Telecom and LG Uplus also participate. It identifies visits to infectious disease contaminated areas through telecom roaming and notifies individuals, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and hospitals threefold. KT’s vision is to expand this globally. In the era of one phone per person, the idea of tracking infected individuals’ movements through telecom information has proven effective and has been exported to Kenya, Laos, and Ghana.

Executive Director Byun said, "Every country in the world has exchange information at base stations, and the exchange ID contains regional information. Therefore, by cooperating with foreign telecom operators, it is possible to trace confirmed patients’ movements down to the regional level." For example, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, it would be possible to know whether a national returning from China visited the contaminated city of Wuhan or only stayed in the clean region of Tibet.

He also explained, "As GEPP data accumulates, machine learning and deep learning can be used to predict infectious disease outbreak risks more precisely. While existing infectious disease prediction AI apps were based on airline ticketing information, using telecom big data allows for more accurate tracking of infected individuals’ routes whether they travel by air or land, thus better assessing outbreak risks."

Privacy Can Be Protected If Activated Only During Pandemics

The issue conflicts with the value of 'personal information protection.' Although KT has promoted this idea internationally since 2016, countries hesitate because of this concern. KT proposed this idea through the Korea-China-Japan telecom strategic cooperation body (SCFA), which includes NTT Docomo (Japan) and China Mobile (China), but it has not been realized due to privacy concerns. Executive Director Byun suggested, "If GEPP is divided into two modes?normal times and emergencies?and only during urgent situations like the COVID-19 pandemic does it identify visits to infectious disease outbreak areas and provide risk notification services, it would protect privacy values while also preventing the spread of infectious diseases through an ICT defense shield."

KT’s AI Big Data Business Division plans to lead the globalization of GEPP again this year in collaboration with the Sustainable Management Division. With global interest in preventing infectious disease spread heightened by COVID-19, KT aims to lead ICT quarantine network issues. As part of this, KT is participating in building the web-based infectious disease event surveillance system (EIOS) with the World Health Organization (WHO) and strengthening cooperation with the World Bank and KOICA. Executive Director Byun said, "GEPP alone cannot completely prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but I believe it has the vision and value to contribute partially to minimizing pandemics. This year, we plan to further expand the launch of GEPP and raise awareness of the need for its global spread."