[The Editors' Verdict] Reflections on Two Years of 5G Service

Seongyeop Lee, Professor at Korea University Graduate School of Technology Management and Director of the Technology Law Policy Center.

On April 3, 2019, South Korea became the first country in the world to successfully commercialize 5G. This achievement marked South Korea’s third world-first title in the information and communication technology sector, following the world’s first commercialization of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1996 and the world’s first commercialization of high-speed internet in 1998. 5G is expected to enable real-time services such as autonomous driving, robot and drone control, and remote medical care because it offers speeds 20 times faster than 4G, supports 10 times more connected devices, and reduces latency to one-tenth. As of February this year, the number of 5G subscribers in South Korea was recorded at 13.66 million, meaning that out of approximately 70 million mobile subscribers nationwide, one in five uses 5G services.

According to data released by the government on the second anniversary of 5G, there have been positive outcomes such as growth driven by increased performance of small and medium-sized 5G equipment companies and large-scale equipment exports by major companies like Samsung Electronics. Exports of 5G solutions and immersive content to Asian markets are expanding, and various convergence services are being discovered and spread, including the use of 5G services in the digital healthcare sector. Additionally, thanks to active investments in 5G networks, the average speed of the three major mobile carriers reached 690.47 Mbps, ranking among the highest in the world. The number of 5G base stations was built 3.1 times faster than initially planned, and currently, 5G networks are established in central areas of Seoul, six major metropolitan cities, and 78 small and medium-sized cities.

However, the perspective of consumer groups and 5G users differs. According to the 5G Victims Association, many areas still lack access to 5G services due to insufficient and delayed construction of 5G base stations by the three major carriers. They argue that users who have subscribed to expensive 5G plans are unfairly paying high fees without receiving proper service. The association plans to file a lawsuit for damages citing poor 5G quality and incomplete services by the carriers, with currently 10,000 plaintiffs participating.

From these points, several conclusions can be drawn. First, the initially proposed 20 Gbps by the government was the maximum transmission speed expected to be achieved in the future when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) set the 5G standards, not the speed to be reached at the early stage of service introduction. Second, although the three major carriers have rapidly been building nationwide networks by investing 16.2 trillion KRW over two years since 2019, there are still shortcomings. Third, while 5G plan options were limited initially, the range of choices has expanded with more diverse and affordable 5G plans continuously being launched through carriers and MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators).

Concerns about 5G users’ speed and quality issues seem to stem from excessive promotion that raised expectations too high and insufficient notification to users. However, it appears that the government now recognizes these problems and is implementing countermeasures. In fact, telecommunications policy usually involves network infrastructure development first, followed by service and content policies, and network construction is generally carried out sequentially considering demand and supply capacity. Nonetheless, it is regrettable that the heightened user awareness of rights regarding telecommunication services was not carefully considered during the early stages of 5G service.

In conclusion, while the lack of sufficient consensus before implementing 5G policies should be improved, this does not mean that efforts to promote 5G policies should be neglected. It is hoped that the world’s first commercial service launch will lead to world-first and world-best achievements in equipment, content, and convergence services, ultimately allowing both businesses and citizens to benefit from 5G as the fundamental infrastructure of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Seong-Yeop Lee, Professor and Director of the Technology Law and Policy Center, Graduate School of Technology Management, Korea University