Ministry of Science and ICT Selected for Maritime Communication Service Demonstration Project
Ulsan City announced that the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and the Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency have been finally selected as the lead organizations in the “Unlicensed Frequency Utilization Maritime Communication Service Demonstration” contest hosted by the Korea Radio Promotion Association under the Ministry of Science and ICT.
This project, aimed at pioneering sales channels for marine equipment, primarily involves demonstrating broadband maritime communication services at sea and ICT convergence intelligent safety services on board, utilizing Ulsan’s electric propulsion intelligent vessel, Taehwa-ho.
The project will run for eight months from April to November, with a total of 43 researchers from four organizations participating in research and development: the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and the Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency as lead institutions, along with SkySys, HarborMax, Hancom UbiMicro, and GN Technology.
The project budget is expected to total 1.6 billion KRW, including 830 million KRW from national funds, 280 million KRW from city funds, and 460 million KRW from private investment.
Looking into the detailed tasks, the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute will install a moored unmanned aerial vehicle and a directional antenna-based communication system on the “Ulsan Taehwa-ho” to demonstrate various maritime services such as marine disaster communication, maritime surveillance, and distress tracking.
The demonstration results will be utilized as the communication infrastructure for the “Establishment of an Eco-friendly Intelligent Port” and the “Foundation for Coastal and Port Surveillance/Marine Disaster Response Systems” being promoted by the Ulsan Port Authority.
The Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency will build a complex wireless network in the unlicensed band inside the “Ulsan Taehwa-ho” to demonstrate safety support services such as “inspection of hazardous gases in confined spaces on board and location tracking of crew and passengers” and “data collection for intelligent fault diagnosis.”
Through this, the project aims to explore the possibility of replacing costly wired networks on board and minimizing communication and data blind spots within the vessel. The related outcomes will be used as research results to strengthen the ICT convergence-based intelligent and eco-friendly ship equipment ecosystem, in line with Ulsan City’s strategy to foster the intelligent shipbuilding industry.
Upon completion of this project, it is expected that, compared to existing wired and wireless communication networks on ships, a rapid communication network environment will be established, and even aging vessels can be applied, thereby reducing communication costs and activating various ICT services in preparation for future intelligent ship demand.
Ulsan City stated, “In response to the paradigm shift of the shipbuilding and marine industries toward eco-friendly, intelligent, and autonomous vessels in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, it is urgent to establish a leading ecosystem for ICT convergence technologies,” adding, “We plan to continue promoting the localization of core equipment currently dependent on imports to enhance the market competitiveness of related knowledge-based service industries and maintain connectivity with research and business support in related fields.”
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