5G Initiative
The Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning sets up the world’ first 5G telecommunications networks for test purposes in Gangwon Province and Seoul in the second half of this year at an investment of 34 billion won. The test is to find out whether a high-band frequency of at least 6 GHz can actually provide a speed of at least 1 Gbps via telecom networks currently in use. To this end, frequency bands and technical standards are prepared and terminal chips and base stations are developed in the first half. The pilot project is to be completed in 2018 through an investment of 15 billion won and eight billion won in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The government is planning to supply two or three of the six bands of 27 to 29.5 GHz, 31.8 to 33.4 GHz, 37 to 42.5 GHz, 45.5 to 50.2 GHz, 50.4 to 52.6 GHz and 66 to 74 GHz as frequency bands for the test. A width of hundreds of MHz is to be allowed to be utilized by mobile carriers for a certain period of time in the second half of this year.
Countries and companies around the world are paying much attention to the Korean government’s plan. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) decided to complete key 5G techniques by 2020 last year, but the discussions are in their early stage now. Besides, countries are failing to reach an agreement with regard to frequency standards. The United States, Korea and Japan are insisting on the standardization of a band of at least 6 GHz in the interest of earlier mobile broadband services whereas some European countries and China are claiming that the standard be set at a band of 6 GHz or less so that the frequency can cover as long a distance as possible.
The 6 GHz+ band is one that has never been utilized in the history of telecommunications. According to the Korean government, pilot 5G services with at least 1 Gbps in this band are expected to result in huge economic effects.