Ministry of Science and ICT: "US Invests Despite No Specialized Services"
Industry: "Fully Feasible Even at 3.5 GHz"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] The public-private working group composed of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three major mobile carriers, formed to explore the utilization of the 5G 28 GHz frequency band, visited the United States and Japan to seek ways to utilize the frequency. However, despite reviewing the same cases, they failed to reach a consensus on activation plans, revealing a 'same dream, different goals' situation.
According to industry sources on the 5th, the 28 GHz public-private working group, consisting of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the three telecom companies, Samsung Electronics, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), and the Korea Communications Agency (KCA), visited the United States in mid-last month to explore cases of 28 GHz utilization. Earlier, in July, the working group visited Japan to review the 28 GHz adoption cases of local telecom companies such as NTT Docomo and KDDI. Separately from the working group, the three telecom companies also formed a voluntary delegation and visited Japan once more.
A Ministry of Science and ICT official said, "After examining the cases of Verizon and T-Mobile, the U.S. was investing in 28 GHz and achieving results," adding, "Verizon has already installed about 40,000 28 GHz base stations and was using them as hotspots in stadiums and other venues to distribute traffic during peak times." He continued, "T-Mobile is also focusing investments on low-band and sub-6 GHz bands to secure coverage but is investing in 28 GHz as well."
The official added, "The telecom industry says there are no specialized services for 28 GHz, but the U.S. currently has none either," and "However, the fact that they are investing for the future is something Korea should take note of."
The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that although customized services using 28 GHz have not yet emerged overseas, the fact that major countries continue to invest in this band to secure next-generation communication competitiveness is highly suggestive. The government is considering utilizing the frequency by building 28 GHz base stations mainly in densely populated areas, similar to Verizon's deployment of 28 GHz base stations in stadiums.
On the other hand, the three telecom companies reportedly expressed somewhat different views from the Ministry of Science and ICT after reviewing overseas cases. Since specialized services have not yet emerged and Korea's 3.5 GHz nationwide network infrastructure is better established than overseas, they believe there is less need to distribute traffic using 28 GHz even in densely populated areas. Some also argue that since there are customer complaints about 3.5 GHz 5G quality, investment priorities should be placed on 3.5 GHz.
An industry insider said, "If a service that doesn't work on 3.5 GHz only works on 28 GHz and there is demand, operators cannot avoid building it," adding, "Although Korea has also built 28 GHz base stations in stadiums, most services are sufficiently possible on 3.5 GHz." The insider also said, "To move toward 6G, overcoming technical limitations at 28 GHz can be done through methods such as building networks in specialized complexes even if not fully commercialized."
The 28 GHz frequency band offers speeds up to 20 times faster than LTE but has weak diffraction and short reach, making network construction difficult. Investment costs are also higher than those for the 3.5 GHz band, causing challenges in widespread adoption.
The three telecom companies' usage period for the 28 GHz frequency is until November 30 next year. The government's frequency policy direction will be announced by the end of May, six months before the expiration, and the three telecom companies must apply for reassignment. Since July, the working group has been operating to jointly consider the investment direction for 28 GHz. Previously, the Ministry of Science and ICT proposed expanding the 'Wi-Fi 6E' service in the Seoul subway using the 28 GHz frequency, but the three telecom companies reportedly showed reluctance due to difficulties in securing profitability relative to investment costs.
According to the National Assembly Legislative Research Office's '2022 National Audit Issue Analysis' report, as of April, the number of 28 GHz base stations was 1,605 for SKT (10.7% of mandatory deployment), 1,586 for KT (10.6%), and 1,868 for LG Uplus (12.5%). A total of 5,059 base stations were built, barely exceeding the minimum requirement for frequency allocation cancellation (10% of mandatory deployment). This figure includes the number of jointly built 28 GHz subway Wi-Fi base stations counted as achievements; excluding these, the total is 2,007 base stations, which is only 4.46% of the total mandatory deployment of 45,000 base stations.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
