When Communication Fails, Disaster Wi-Fi Activates... Small Business Owners Connect Phones for Payment

Nationwide 270,000 Disaster Wi-Fi Opened to Support Emergency Communications
Wireless Tethering as Alternative for Small Businesses During Wired Network Failures

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] The government, in cooperation with the four major telecommunications companies, will conduct an emergency telecommunications service recovery drill on the 24th to review response measures for emergency situations. They will also examine support measures for small business owners' mobile phone tethering payments, which were established following the KT network outage in October last year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT conducted a joint emergency telecommunications service recovery drill with related organizations, including the four major telecom companies, at the KT Guro Exchange located in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, in connection with the 2022 Eulji Exercise scenario.

This drill assumed a scenario where an enemy drone dropped bombs on the KT Guro Exchange, causing a large-scale wired and wireless network outage in the surrounding area. The exercise checked the crisis response system and measures such as emergency telecommunications service recovery, collaboration among telecom companies, and user protection measures.

In addition to checking the emergency telecommunications service recovery procedures and measures, the drill also reviewed the follow-up measures to strengthen network stability, survivability, and resilience after the KT outage incident last October.

The Ministry of Science and ICT is promoting key follow-up measures such as ▲establishing an open disaster Wi-Fi system ▲supporting small business owners' mobile phone tethering payments ▲building a mutual wireless network backup system among telecom companies and improving disaster roaming.

Open Disaster Wi-Fi... Support for Small Business Owners' Mobile Phone Tethering Payments

Disaster Wi-Fi allows anyone to connect to and use public and commercial Wi-Fi around the affected area during wired and wireless network outages. There are a total of 272,000 public and commercial Wi-Fi spots nationwide. The open system is currently prepared, with testing scheduled for August and implementation planned from September.

During disasters, disaster Wi-Fi is broadcast under a unified common identifier (Public WiFi Emergency). Each telecom company sends guidance via disaster text messages, and some providers will further improve systems that automatically switch Wi-Fi identifiers by the end of the year. Once disaster Wi-Fi is opened, even if a telecom company experiences an outage, users can utilize other companies' Wi-Fi to send urgent messages or receive information.

A tethering payment system for small business owners has also been established. To prepare for damages caused by payment failures during network outages, the three wired telecom companies support emergency payments for payment devices (POS devices, card payment terminals) using mobile phone tethering functions.

KT has completed the development of embedded software for wireless AP devices to support USB tethering, which connects the USB port on the user's wireless AP device to a mobile phone, and plans to distribute it by the end of this month. LG Uplus and SK Broadband support Ethernet tethering, which connects small business owners' payment devices and mobile phones via an Ethernet adapter. They have completed manufacturing the adapters for Ethernet tethering and are currently accepting applications from small business users to distribute the adapters. Related promotions are also underway.

Mutual Wireless Network Backup System Established

A mutual wireless network backup system is also being established. To prevent simultaneous wireless network outages during nationwide wired network failures, users of wireless networks will be able to access domestic internet, mobile messengers, financial, and daily convenience services normally by routing through other telecom companies' wired networks. Considering the increased traffic due to mutual backup, the capacity of interconnection lines will be expanded by the end of the year.

Disaster roaming will also be improved. Disaster roaming, which allows users to use other telecom companies' wireless networks with their existing mobile devices during regional wireless network outages, will have its capacity expanded. The disaster roaming capacity will increase from 2 million to 3 million users by the end of the year.

Minister Jongho Lee, in his drill debriefing, stated, "The newly established disaster Wi-Fi system and small business owners' tethering payment support represent meaningful progress in enhancing outage resilience," and urged, "Telecom companies should remain vigilant, strengthen self-inspections and network management, and work harder to ensure the stability of telecommunications services."