The Ministry of Science and ICT has completed the construction of a nationwide 5G mobile communication network, with rural areas being the last.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 18th that the three telecommunications companies (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus) have begun the final third stage of commercialization of the 'Rural 5th Generation (5G) Joint Use Plan'.

'Rural 5G joint use' refers to a method in which the three telecommunication companies divide rural areas into groups, build their own telecommunications networks, and jointly use these networks to provide 5G services in areas where they have not built their own telecommunications networks, using telecommunications networks of other companies.

In April 2021, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the three telecommunication companies, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the 'Rural 5G Joint Use Plan' to quickly provide 5G services to rural areas and have been promoting commercialization in stages to date. The second phase of commercialization began in June 2023.

This third phase of commercialization was carried out targeting 432 towns and counties in 52 counties. The Ministry of Science and ICT said, “It was originally planned to be completed by the first half of 2024, but in order to quickly expand 5G services nationwide, it was completed two months earlier through consultations between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three telecommunications companies.”

As a result, the construction of a nationwide 5G network was completed, including all rural and fishing villages, in addition to the 85 administrative districts and some townships where the three telecommunications companies previously built their networks independently.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said, “We will continue to inspect and support the three telecommunications companies to improve network stability and quality levels in areas targeted for commercialization of rural 5G joint use.”

Kim Kyung-man, the Ministry of Science and ICT’s director general for communications policy, said, “We have worked closely with the three telecommunication companies to expand 5G mobile communication services to rural areas faster than originally planned, and the three telecommunication companies plan to continuously pursue quality enhancement in the future.” He added, “Along with the government’s strengthening of quality assessment, we will encourage telecommunication companies to actively implement continuous user evaluations in which users directly participate in quality assessments so that continuous 5G quality improvement can be achieved in the future.”