Climate Response and UAM Service Preparation... Total 7.5 GHz of Public Frequency Supplied

Announcement of Next Year's Public Frequency Supply Plan
Utilization in Safety, Defense, and New Industry Services

UAM aircraft reference photo. Photo by Heo Young-han

The government has decided to supply a total bandwidth of 7.5 GHz of frequencies next year for public services such as climate crisis response and Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

The Ministry of Science and ICT finalized the frequency supply plan for the next year through the Public Frequency Policy Council and notified each agency of the results on the 27th.

The Ministry of Science and ICT reviews the frequency usage plans of central administrative agencies and public institutions annually to establish and implement the public frequency supply plan. This year, 20 agencies including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted 41 new frequency usage plans to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

After evaluating the frequency usage plans submitted by each agency, 8 were deemed appropriate, 3 inappropriate, and 30 conditionally appropriate. Accordingly, a total bandwidth of 7.5 GHz of public frequencies will be supplied next year. For the conditionally appropriate cases, frequencies will be supplied on the premise of joint use among agencies and adjustment of required amounts to ensure efficient frequency utilization.

The Ministry of Science and ICT focused on aspects such as ▲ securing public safety through climate radar ▲ strengthening defense and security with unmanned systems ▲ innovating public services like UAM.

Specifically, to secure public safety, a bandwidth of 300 MHz will be supplied for safety fields (11 cases) such as maritime surveillance and weather radar; 4.8 GHz of frequency bandwidth will be supplied for defense fields (18 cases) for building anti-drone systems and operating unmanned systems. Additionally, 2.4 GHz of frequency bandwidth will be supplied for new public sector services (9 cases) such as satellites and UAM to promote new industries and service innovation.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to proceed with frequency supply after a final review of interference and other impacts when granting wireless station licenses.

Choi Byung-taek, Director of the Radio Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Frequency, a limited resource, is a core element of wireless communication and its importance is growing even more in the digital era. Through efficient supply and management of public frequencies, we will continue to support the enhancement of public convenience and safety, as well as the fostering and activation of new industries."