The 5th Operator Joins Ieum5G... Government-Exclusive Portal Established

EuclidSoft Final Contractor Selected
Government to Address Information Sharing Issues
Web Portal Site Launched...Beta Opening in October

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] As the number of 5G subscribers surpasses 24 million, the government's 'Eum5G (5G specialized network)' project is also progressing smoothly. With the emergence of the fifth operator, the government has begun building a web portal dedicated to 5G specialized networks. Once the web portal site is established, demand companies will be able to view the status of wireless stations and network construction model information at a glance, making information sharing easier.

Government to Create Dedicated Portal for 5G Specialized Networks

According to the Public Procurement Service's Nara Market on the 7th, the Korea Radio Promotion Association, an affiliate of the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced a bid for the 'Eum5G Frequency Usage Management System Construction Project' and recently selected EuclidSoft as the final contractor. The government plans to build a cloud-based Eum5G frequency usage management system web server and establish a comprehensive Eum5G portal information system. The web portal will include information on the status of Eum5G wireless stations and network construction models through collaboration with each operator. It is scheduled to beta open in October and transition to official service around January next year. In the future, a section will be created where operators can register as members to raise demands and introduce their own solutions.

The web portal construction was inspired by the lack of a space where Eum5G demand companies can freely share information. The limited government promotion was also pointed out as a problem. A Ministry of Science and ICT official explained, "There was demand to try using 5G whenever factory equipment lines were changed or construction was done," adding, "Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, there were many limitations in finding information compared to large companies."

5G Expansion from Robots to Medical and Media Industries

Eum5G is a 5G communication network where operators who wish to provide 5G convergence services on specific land or building units are allocated 5G frequencies to implement their own services. It is finding its role not only in the dedicated specialized network frequency band of 4.7 GHz but also in the millimeter-wave band of 28 GHz, which had become a burden due to lack of demand. Through Eum5G, long-term communication cost reduction is also possible. Starting with Naver Cloud as the first operator in December last year, five companies including LG CNS, SK Networks Service, Nable Communications, and CJ OliveNetworks have received Eum5G licenses.

Specialized services have also diversified into fields such as robots, smart factories, medical, and media. Naver plans to install Eum5G equipment in its second completed office building '1784' through Naver Cloud this year, using it as a testbed for ABC new businesses. They also plan to apply Eum5G to 5G brainless robots and expand it as a business-to-business (B2B) service. LG CNS provides services for intelligent factories such as autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and AI surveillance based on 4K and 8K ultra-high-definition video. CJ OliveNetworks uses the frequency for real-time video editing, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)-based real-time immersive content, and establishing intelligent logistics systems.

The number of applicant companies is steadily increasing. Currently, various companies and local governments such as Kakao Enterprise, an AI-based company of Kakao, Samsung SDS, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Yongin Severance Hospital, and Busan City are also reportedly considering applying for business licenses. The Ministry of Science and ICT, the competent authority, is also expanding the application of Eum5G-related technologies in public and private sectors through the '5G Convergence Service Project.' Samsung Electronics plans to provide dedicated solutions in five areas: energy, safety, water resource management, medical care, and medical education.