Jokyung-sik, 2nd Vice Minister of Science and ICT
Visits Rural 5G Shared Network Preparation Site
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Cho Kyung-sik, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, urged on the 26th, "Major telecommunications operators should actively strive to minimize public inconvenience and risks through strict network stability inspections."
Vice Minister Cho made this request to mobile carriers while visiting and inspecting the preparation site for the rural 5G shared usage pilot commercialization located in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, referring to the nationwide wired and wireless internet service outage of KT the previous day.
Vice Minister Cho emphasized, "As the non-face-to-face economy expands, the role and importance of telecommunication services are increasing. If a telecommunication service outage occurs, it can cause inconvenience to the public, economic damage, and pose significant risks to public safety. Regarding KT's communication outage yesterday, we are doing our best to promptly identify the cause and investigate the status of user damages."
In the Geumnam-myeon area of Sejong Special Self-Governing City visited that day, they are verifying whether major functions and services such as voice, data, and value-added services operate normally before the 5G shared usage network pilot commercialization.
The rural 5G shared usage plan jointly announced in April by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three mobile carriers is a plan for the three carriers to jointly use the 5G network in towns and townships within 131 cities and counties. It was promoted to increase nationwide 5G service accessibility and bridge the 5G gap between urban and rural areas.
Vice Minister Cho tested the operation of the shared usage network while moving by vehicle through areas built by each company. He also experienced the network switching phenomenon connecting standalone networks and shared usage networks in boundary areas between each company's built area and shared usage area.
Vice Minister Cho said, "I hope that through rural 5G shared usage, all citizens will be able to use 5G services as soon as possible," and added, "Please make every effort to prepare for the pilot commercialization of the shared usage network so that it can proceed smoothly within this year."
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