Successful development of 5G in-building repeater last January
KT leads the construction of 95 out of 119 in-building locations
Planned to expand to 1,000 locations by the end of the year

KT announced on the 24th that it will launch 5G services in large buildings used by many customers, such as major KTX stations and Gimpo Airport.
After more than a year of preparation, KT has completed the development and quality testing of 5G in-building equipment and is launching full-scale in-building services.

KT has been preparing 5G in-building repeater equipment with domestic small and medium-sized partners since February 2018, and completed development for the first time in Korea last January after a period of about 10 months. Subsequently, the full-scale installation of equipment begins after undergoing a thorough quality verification process in collaboration with small and medium-sized partner companies and main equipment developers.

In-building services require the installation of equipment inside complex buildings and space is limited, so the basic infrastructure is generally built jointly through consultation among the three telecommunication companies.

To date, there are 119 in-building locations that the three telecommunications companies have confirmed will be jointly built and are currently in progress, with KT leading 95 of them, or 80%.

We plan to complete the installation of equipment in major KTX stations such as Seoul Station, major department stores in Seoul and the metropolitan area, and major large buildings such as Gimpo Airport in June, and expand the number of in-building service locations to 80 by July, including Starfield Hanam, Starfield Goyang, and Times Square.

In the second half of the year, we aim to expand in-building coverage even more rapidly and provide 5G services to approximately 1,000 locations by the end of the year.

The provision of 5G services in subways nationwide is also planned to be accelerated through active cooperation with relevant organizations.

"Until now, we have been building 5G networks centered on base stations that have a significant effect on expanding coverage," said Choi Jin-ho, Senior Vice President of Access Network Construction at KT Network Division. "To further enhance the 5G customer experience, starting in the second half of the year, we will actively expand in-building coverage centered on major buildings along with the construction of outdoor base stations."