Foreign Companies Ahead in Connected Car Services
South Korea is falling behind in the field of 5G convergence, as foreign mobile carriers are leading the commercialization of automotive 5G and network slicing.
According to market research firms, 5G network-connected cars are expected to account for 25 percent of all cars in 2025. In this market, T-Mobile recently launched Magenta Drive for BMW cars and this service, US$20 a month, provides unlimited voice calls along with unlimited 5G connection and a WiFi hotspot. This service is eSIM-connected to an automotive antenna and uses 600 Mhz and 2.5 Ghz frequencies.
In South Korea, services of this kind are still in the early stage of development and commercialization is still far away. According to market research firms, Volkswagen and Toyota are expected to account for 16.5 percent and 11.9 percent of the global connected car market in 2025 and GM, Renault Nissan Alliance, and Hyundai Motor Group are predicted to follow with 8.8 percent, 8.6 percent and 8.5 percent.
Foreign companies are keeping ahead in network slicing as well. It is to enhance the quality and speed of communications by dividing one 5G network into virtual networks. It is essential for 5G convergence and related services such as autonomous driving, and yet South Korea has just entered the industry.
On the other hand, Ericsson recently released Ericsson Dynamic End-user Boost, saying that consumers themselves can enhance 5G network quality by network slicing with this app. According to Ericsson, Hong Kong-based SmarTone will be the first company in the industry to provide its network slicing app service for consumers.