[Galapagos K-Communication]③ 5G is not even available, but 6G?..."We must break free from the initial disease"

Government Cancels 28GHz Frequency Allocation for 3 Major Telecoms
5G Global Leadership Lost and Consumer Complaints Rise
Experts Express Doubts Over 6G Era Preparation

Last June, the Ministry of Science and ICT reclaimed the 28 GHz band frequency, known as the true 5G, from the three major telecom companies SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus. This was a consequence of their negligence in infrastructure development, such as base station installation, citing lack of profitability. Utilizing the 28 GHz frequency allows internet speeds 20 times faster than LTE. The three telecom companies assigned the 28 GHz frequency were obligated to each build 15,000 network units, but over three years, SKT built only 1,605 units, KT 1,586 units, and LG Uplus 1,868 units, resulting in an implementation rate of just around 10% for all three companies.

Since the world's first commercialization of 5G began in April 2019, domestic consumers have not been able to enjoy proper 5G services for over four years. Now, the three telecom companies are preparing for the '6G era.' Doubts arise as to whether these telecom companies, which have consistently been passive in investing in innovation, can provide stable 6G services.

5G is still incomplete... Busy preparing for 6G

Recently, domestic telecom companies have been publishing 6G white papers one after another. These white papers contain analyses of promising service prospects, technology trends, expected frequencies related to 6G, as well as directions and methodologies for development. Based on the contents specified in the white papers, these telecom companies aim to lead the initial standardization and technological ecosystem of 6G.

Governments worldwide are also actively moving to establish global standards for 6G. At the 44th International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R WP5D) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, last June, a draft recommendation of the IMT-2030 framework (6G vision) was released, containing concepts such as 6G target services and key performance indicators.

Industry insiders are watching whether domestic infrastructure and technology levels can reach the global 6G target services. There are only about seven years left until the commercialization target year of 2030. Experts question whether telecom companies can provide stable 6G services when they have practically neglected infrastructure construction and services related to the 28 GHz frequency.

An official from an information and communication technology organization, who requested anonymity, said, "In the US, Japan, and Europe, base stations and smartphones supporting the 28 GHz frequency are being distributed, but domestically, there are no base stations supporting the 28 GHz frequency at all." He added, "Frankly speaking, since 5G services are already lagging behind, it is hard to see how 6G services can take the lead. This is because 5G and 6G are essentially the same in terms of service and technology."

He continued, "Each telecom company claims it will be the protagonist of the 6G era, but in reality, it could be an empty promise just like when 5G commercialization started," and pointed out, "It is important for telecom companies to make real investments and achieve results, not just slogans. They should not show a side where they neglect telecommunications business while failing even in new businesses."

What makes 28 GHz different?

Millimeter-wave frequencies like 28 GHz have wider bandwidth and faster speeds compared to the mid-low band 3.5 GHz used by domestic telecom companies for 5G services. The well-known fact that "5G is 20 times faster than LTE" also refers to the 28 GHz frequency. However, 28 GHz has drawbacks such as short radio wave reach and poor penetration through walls and buildings. To build a network over the same area, more base stations and equipment are required compared to 3.5 GHz.

Because of this, domestic telecom companies built a nationwide 3.5 GHz network instead of 28 GHz, which requires higher investment costs. This means they neglected investment in telecommunications innovation due to lack of profitability.

Telecom companies themselves admit that 5G services were insufficient. SKT stated in its 6G white paper, "When preparing for 5G introduction, we anticipated various futuristic services such as AR, VR, and autonomous driving, but many cases did not lead to actual service activation as expected." The preparation for the overall environment constituting 5G services was insufficient, and from the early commercialization stage, expectations for 5G performance and innovative services based on it were excessively high. They added, "If we had looked at it from a more objective perspective, questioning whether the rosy outlook that 5G technology alone could change the future was realistic and whether the overall environment for services could be prepared together, the gap between public and societal expectations for 5G would not have been so large."

Although Korea was the fastest in the world to commercialize 5G, the global leadership in 5G services has long since shifted to other advanced countries such as the US and Japan. In a 5G readiness index evaluation conducted by the US consulting firm Kearney on 33 countries that commercialized 5G, Korea scored 6.9 points, ranking 6th behind the US (8.4), Singapore (7.6), Finland (7.3), and Japan and Norway (7.1).

According to a survey by the UK market research firm Opensignal, Korea scored 6.7 out of 10 in 5G coverage experience, ranking 5th among 43 countries. Singapore ranked first with 8.2 out of 10, and the US was second with 8. Hong Kong and Taiwan tied for third with 7.1, and the Netherlands tied with Korea at 6.7 for fifth place.

Professor Bang Hyochang of Doowon Technical College's Smart IT department said, "From the beginning, Korea's 5G commercialization strategy was very different from that of the US, Japan, and other advanced countries." He pointed out that while the US and Japan built infrastructure starting with 28 GHz and then expanding to 3.5 GHz, Korea prioritized the economically advantageous 3.5 GHz to be the first in the world to commercialize, eventually abandoning 28 GHz.

Regarding the Kearney and Opensignal surveys, he interpreted, "5G, especially 28 GHz, has many advantages as it can implement various services such as metaverse, holograms, VR, and AR due to its ultra-high speed and wide bandwidth characteristics. The surveys expressed concern that Korea is unable to implement these diverse 5G technological elements."

Half-baked 5G that angers consumers

What angers consumers who have not enjoyed proper 5G services even more is that telecom companies advertised the technical standard target speed (20 Gbps), which cannot be realized in actual usage environments, as if it were achievable.

Telecom companies advertised "20 times faster than LTE," but as of 2021, the average 5G speed of the three major carriers was 0.8 Gbps, only about 4% of the 20 Gbps they advertised. Contrary to the claim of 20 times LTE speed, it was only about 4 to 7 times LTE speed. To achieve 5G speeds 20 times faster than LTE as advertised by telecom companies, the 28 GHz frequency must be utilized and a sufficient number of base stations must be in place.

In May, the Korea Fair Trade Commission imposed corrective orders and fines totaling 33.6 billion KRW on the three telecom companies for false and exaggerated advertising of 5G speeds. The imposed fines are the second largest in history for violations of the Act on Labeling and Advertising.

Experts point out that these controversies related to 28 GHz should serve as lessons, emphasizing the need to focus on infrastructure construction and ecosystem establishment. They warn against rushing to bring forward the 6G commercialization timeline.

Kim Yonghee, a research fellow at OpenRoute, said, "While it is natural to support and promote 6G standards favorable to Korea, we must remember that even after four years since 5G commercialization, there is no '5G original content.' Investment in devices and content must accompany network investment." He added, "It is time to let go of the desire for the 'world's first' title." This is advice to overcome the chronic obsession in Korea's telecommunications industry with being the first in the world.