Ministry of Science and ICT to Expand 'Open-RAN' Demonstration Projects for SMEs to 'AI-RAN'

Building 5G Private Network Open-RAN and AI-RAN Demonstration Networks at Seoul Station and Gimpo Airport

On August 17, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced plans to expand its ongoing demonstration projects-aimed at helping domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies gain a foothold in the next-generation network market with Open-RAN equipment-into promising areas such as 'intelligent base stations' (AI-RAN or AI-RANs) that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The base station equipment market, a core component of mobile communication networks, has traditionally been dominated by a handful of global manufacturers. However, a shift toward Open-RAN, which allows for participation by a wider variety of companies, is underway, led by major countries such as the United States, Japan, and Germany. In next-generation 6G mobile communications, AI-RANs-Open-RAN structures combined with AI technology-are expected to emerge as key infrastructure.

According to global market research firms, the Open-RAN market, which was valued at $2.4 billion (about 3.3 trillion KRW) in 2023, is projected to nearly triple to $6.8 billion by 2028. In particular, the AI-RAN market is expected to grow from $1.1 billion last year to $8.6 billion by 2030.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, in collaboration with the National Information Society Agency (NIA), is supporting not only technology development and commercialization but also the demonstration of Open-RAN by domestic companies to help SMEs and mid-sized firms enter new global markets. This year, the ministry is expanding Open-RAN demonstration projects beyond existing 5G commercial networks to include 5G private networks and future-oriented fields such as AI-RANs. In particular, plans are in place to build and validate 5G private network Open-RANs and AI-RAN demonstration networks at Seoul Station and Gimpo Airport.

At Seoul Station, which serves more than 100,000 people per day on average, the plan is to connect multiple wireless cameras to a 5G Open-RAN private network and transmit large-scale CCTV footage to servers in real time. Based on the data collected and transmitted, the server will analyze congestion levels in real time to prevent crowd surges and support safe railway use for the public.

The Seoul Station demonstration network will be implemented as a 'Multi-Vendor Open-RAN' environment, combining software-based base station (O-DU) equipment from a domestic manufacturer (LG Electronics) with radio units (O-RUs) from three different manufacturers. The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that this is the first case of its kind internationally.

At Gimpo Airport, an AI-integrated Open-RAN demonstration network will be established to immediately detect and respond to passenger access to restricted areas or security blind spots. This will allow for the proactive demonstration of AI-RANs, where both communication and AI functions are processed simultaneously at the base station server. In addition, the project will verify technology that applies AI algorithms to the network to improve signal quality between 5G cameras and base stations, ensuring the stable transmission of high-quality, large-capacity video.

An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "We will take the lead in technology and industrial innovation to secure an early lead in the intelligent network market that will fully emerge in the 6G era," adding, "By proactively verifying the effectiveness of AI-RANs, which are gaining attention as core infrastructure in the AI era, we will promote their expansion into various public and private sectors."