28GHz 주파수 경매 결과 최종 낙찰가 4,301억원으로 ‘스테이지엑스’가 제4이통으로 확정됐다. 업계 일각에서는 ‘승자의 저주’라 칭하며 우려의 목소리를 내는 가운데, 스테이지엑스에게는 28GHz 주파수 대역 사업화에 성공하기 위해 풀어 나가야 할 숙제들이 주어졌다.
▲Second Vice Minister of Science and Technology Park Yoon-gyu
Stage X, “Auction decided considering future value”
Park Yoon-gyu, 2nd Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Strengthens Cooperation with Samsung Electronics
Plan to actively introduce SW technologies such as cloud and open LAN
As a result of the 28GHz frequency auction, StageX was confirmed as the 4th mobile carrier with a final winning bid of 430.1 billion won. While some in the industry are raising concerns, calling it the “winner’s curse,” StageX has been given homework to solve in order to successfully commercialize the 28GHz frequency band.
The Ministry of Science and ICT selected StageX Co., Ltd. as the company to be allocated the 28GHz band frequency through an auction on the 31st. Shinhan Investment & Securities is participating as a financial investor in the consortium, and KAIST, Yonsei Medical Center, and Intellian Tech are also participating.
The auction was held privately from January 25 to January 31 with the participation of three companies (Sejong Telecom, Stage X, and MyMobile). The final winning bid as a result of the sealed bid was 430.1 billion won, which is more than twice the winning bid of the three mobile carriers in 2018, which was in the early 200 billion won range.
The cost of the spectrum remained an unexpectedly large task. StageX must pay the final bid price of 430.1 billion won in installments over five years. This year, it must pay 43 billion won, which is 10% of the bid price. It is predicted that the frequency cost, which will exceed 400 billion won after bidding at the lowest competitive price of 74.2 billion won, will be a huge burden.
An industry insider said, “If we had initially offered 430.1 billion won, which was significantly higher than the initial price of 74.2 billion won, no one would have challenged us,” but “it seems that the value of winning the final bid and earning the title of fourth mobile carrier was a significant factor.”
A StageX official also explained, "Rather than judging the appropriateness of the price based on the simple bid price, 'StageX's acquisition of qualification as the 4th mobile carrier' has great significance," and "The auction price was determined by considering the various services and technologies that can be created through exclusive use of the 28GHz frequency, as well as the future value that reflects the added value."
Accordingly, StageX will be allocated a dedicated frequency in the 26.5–27.3 GHz band and a 20 MHz width in the 700 MHz anchor frequency band for three years. StageX is required to build 6,000 base station equipment. The cost of building one 28GHz base station is expected to exceed 20 million won, and the equipment purchase and construction costs are expected to exceed at least 200 billion won.
■ Ministry of Science and ICT requests Samsung Electronics to cooperate with 28GHz terminals 
Even if the 4th mobile carrier secures technology and capital based on the 28GHz frequency band, the biggest problem is that there are currently no terminals in the country that support the 5G 28GHz frequency.
StageX stated, “In order to distribute terminals for 28GHz service, we plan to distribute terminals that support the 5G 28GHz band through strategic partnerships with major domestic operators such as Samsung, Apple, Google, and Foxconn,” but no specific plans have been announced.
The government is expected to provide a large number of new business policy benefits to StageX. From easing the allocation fee and network construction obligations, it will establish detailed regulations to allow joint use (roaming) of third-party networks such as base stations and core networks in areas where new businesses have not built networks. In addition, improvements will be made so that the facilities of telecommunication companies, private management agencies, and CATV can be utilized when building one's own network.
In terms of business operations, we also plan to establish a foundation for a system to provide nationwide services, including 400 billion won in policy financing, tax deductions, and terminal distribution support.
To this end, it was revealed that Park Yoon-gyu, 2nd Vice Minister of Science and ICT, met with Vice President Jeong Ho-jin at the Samsung Electronics Seocho building on the 2nd and exchanged opinions on the abolition of the 'Act on Improvement of Mobile Terminal Device Distribution Structure' (Terminal Distribution Act) and the launch of 28GHz terminals by new operators, and discussed future cooperation plans.
Second Vice Minister Park Yoon-gyu asked Samsung Electronics to cooperate by releasing dedicated terminals that support 28GHz so that new mobile carriers can settle into the market early. Second Vice Minister Park Yoon-gyu said, “This year, we are further accelerating the implementation of various policies to invigorate competition in the mobile communications market and ease the burden of household telecommunications costs for the people, and manufacturers have agreed to further strengthen cooperation by expanding the release of low- to mid-priced terminals.”
In addition, Vice Minister Park Yoon-gyu shared the purpose of abolishing the 'Terminal Distribution Act' and future plans, and said, "Even before the revision of the law, I requested cooperation so that competition in terminal subsidies can expand and the release of low- to mid-priced terminals can be activated, thereby alleviating the burden of terminal purchases for the public."
The Single Distribution Act is a policy that prohibits discounts exceeding the publicly announced subsidy when purchasing a terminal, but the government has recently been pushing for the abolition of the Single Distribution Act in order to promote competition in the telecommunications market. We can expect the advantage of being able to lower rates by activating competition among telecommunications companies.
However, a telecommunications industry insider expressed his opinion, saying, “If the Single Telecommunications Act is abolished, competition among telecommunications companies for subsidies will become fierce, but the fourth mobile carrier will not be able to provide subsidies compared to the three mobile carriers with rich financial resources, so it will not be at an advantage.”
The industry expects that StageX will be able to launch its service in the second half of the year, or at the latest in the first quarter of next year, after completing procedures such as establishing a new corporation and registering as a telecommunications business.
■ StageX, Introducing Innovative Technologies for ‘Real 5G Realization’ 
The success of a new operator depends on whether it can achieve a new cost structure compared to existing operators. After being selected as the 4th mobile carrier, StageX revealed its ambition to provide not only B2B services but also B2C services using 5G 28GHz. The strategy is to build a core network on the cloud along with 28GHz hotspots and cover the entire country through network roaming of the existing 3 mobile carriers.
StageX announced that it will pursue a living lab with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and a digital-based smart hospital business with Yonsei Medical Center (Severance Hospital) in relation to the '28GHz Real 5G' service. In the entertainment sector, it will collaborate with major domestic stadiums and performance halls to provide realistic K-content, and implement 28GHz Real 5G services in multi-use facilities such as airports.
In other words, providing a nationwide service based on the 5G 28GHz frequency band may be a distant dream. An industry expert said, “Everyone knows that it is difficult to commercialize only with the 28GHz frequency band,” and “Securing the commercial viability of the 4th mobile carrier depends on when the government provides other sub-6 bands.” The government has announced its plan to review the supply of mid- and low-band frequencies that were previously discussed after the 28GHz performance.
On the other hand, StageX may have an advantage in that it is a new telecommunications operator that does not have a 2G, 3G, or LTE network, unlike the existing three mobile carriers. It is explained that it can overcome the limitations of existing hardware-based communication technology and build a network based on software, thereby improving flexibility, expandability, and efficiency.
For example, this is a plan to actively introduce innovative technologies, such as building a core network in the cloud and applying Open RAN (open radio access network) to the access network. Unlike existing communication networks, open LAN is a method of building a standardized network that allows interoperability between equipment from different vendors.
The core network is an essential facility for roaming cooperation with MNOs (3 mobile carriers) for nationwide communication services, and StageX was able to apply it as is after being allocated the frequency this time. StageX has been introducing MVNO and roaming services through the simple communication platform 'Findirect', and in November of last year, it completed a technical review and business preparation for building a core network for a full MVNO business with Naver Cloud.
Regarding this, StageX said, “Building a full MVNO core network on cloud infrastructure is a rare case even globally, and it has created a new reference for the convergence of communications and cloud.” Unlike mobile carriers that simply resell rate plans, a full MVNO refers to a carrier that owns its own communication network and related technologies and can directly develop rate plans.
In addition, StageX has recently shown active infrastructure investment through the establishment of a billing system for the three major mobile carriers and partnerships with major overseas telecommunications companies. StageX said, “Considering the innovation of the online-based mobile communication service distribution structure and the reduction of infrastructure costs using the cloud, we will be able to secure sufficient business feasibility.”
Industry experts predicted, “New operators will be able to introduce technologies that improve the performance of wireless communication systems, such as ‘MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output)’ technology that increases data transmission speed and stability,” and “In particular, introducing open LAN can be an opportunity to activate the market by collaborating with domestic equipment manufacturers.”
He also said, “The emergence of a fourth mobile carrier is expected to play a role in revitalizing the market that has solidified as a new competitor in the mobile communications business.”
StageX CEO Sangwon Seo said, “We will strive to highlight a new brand in the communications market by activating 5G services and bring about new and innovative changes to the market.”