"South Korea Ranks 1st in 5G Infrastructure, 2nd in Number of Users"…Top-Level Digital Infrastructure

OECD Announces '2024 Digital Economy Outlook Report'
"Highest Number of Base Stations per 100,000 People at 593"

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 20th that South Korea's level of digital infrastructure was evaluated as the world's best in the "2024 Digital Economy Outlook Report" published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Minister Yoo Sang-im of the Ministry of Science and ICT (second from the left) is cheering with the representatives at the Ministry of Science and ICT Minister-Telecom CEO meeting held on the 13th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. From the left, Yoo Sang-yang, CEO of SK Telecom; Minister Yoo; Kim Young-seop, CEO of KT; Hwang Hyun-sik, CEO of LG Uplus. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

The OECD Digital Policy Committee provides key insights and policy implications in the digital sector based on member countries' statistical data and survey responses.

The report analyzed that as of last year, South Korea's 5G infrastructure ranked first among 29 countries including China and the European Union (EU), and second in terms of the number of users.

South Korea had the highest number of base stations per 100,000 people at 593, followed by Lithuania (328) and Finland (251). The average among OECD member countries was about 100.

In terms of the number of 5G connections per 100 people, the United States ranked first with 68.4, and South Korea was second with 63. This was followed by Finland (58), China (about 57), Australia (57), and Japan (56), with the OECD average at 38.6.

The report stated that as digital transformation projects continue in each country, the demand for high-quality broadband services is increasing, and analyzed that investment in the telecommunications sector within the OECD region increased by 18% over five years from 2018 to last year (an average annual growth rate of 3.4%).

The number of mobile broadband subscribers within the OECD region more than doubled over 10 years from 2013, reaching 1.86 billion.

Minister Yoo Sang-im said, "It has been confirmed that South Korea's efforts and achievements in building digital infrastructure are at a high level," and added, "We will do our best to establish an innovative network environment and a secure digital ecosystem."