"Accelerating the Activation of the 5G Industry Ecosystem" Ministry of Science and ICT Launches MEC-Based Convergence Service Project

Ministry of Science and ICT Launches 2021 Project for Discovering 5G Convergence Services and Leading Public Application

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The government will continue this year its project to establish various convergence service models based on Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) in the public sector to revitalize the 5G industry ecosystem.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) announced on the 29th that they will launch the ‘2021 5G Convergence Service Discovery and Public Leading Application Project (5G Convergence Service Project)’, which is part of the Digital New Deal. MEC is a technology that processes data at the service site without transmitting it all the way to the central network, realizing 5G’s advantages as convergence services specialized for the field.

This year’s 5G Convergence Service Project, with an investment of 40 billion KRW, will be carried out in two parts: building MEC-based convergence service models and commercializing open MEC-based technologies along with 5G and MEC standardization to activate upstream and downstream industries. The 5G Convergence Service Project has a total budget of 120 billion KRW over three years from last year to next year.

First, six fields were selected for building MEC-based convergence service models. KT was selected in two fields including defense, providing autonomous driving and real-time vehicle control services at the Air Force Seosan Air Base, while LG Uplus was selected in three fields including ports, offering services such as remote crane control and logistics warehouse automation to improve port working environments. Daejeon Technopark will also lead the healthcare field. The service models are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and officially operated from next year.

Commercialization of MEC-based technologies will be led by Daejeon Metropolitan Express Transit Corporation, Smartcoop, Sweet K, Entels, Team Grit, and Iruon, who will undertake tasks such as developing open platforms and solutions that can be used to implement MEC-based convergence service models and conducting demonstrations. The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, “Small and medium enterprises are expected to secure technological competitiveness, actively participate in the market, and contribute to revitalizing the entire 5G industry ecosystem.”

In addition, to preoccupy the rapidly growing MEC-related market alongside the expansion of 5G utilization, 5G and MEC standardization will be promoted in parallel based on service models that have been applied first in the public sector.

Lee Seung-won, Director of the Information and Communication Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “Through convergence services created by 5G, we will promote digital transformation across the economy and society, making 2021 the inaugural year for establishing a 5G+ convergence ecosystem. We will strive to discover various 5G convergence services and lead their application in the public sector so that our 5G model can become a global reference, while focusing policy capabilities to create a 5G+ convergence ecosystem where upstream and downstream industries grow together.”

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