5G SA commercialization and 28 GHz band network construction within the year
Investing 650 billion won in fostering strategic 5G industries.
In the post-COVID-19 era, 5G will become a growth engine.


On the 8th, the government held the 3rd inter-ministerial public-private joint 5G+ strategy committee via video conference. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of National Defense participated in this committee for the first time.

The first Strategy Committee meeting of the year reviewed the efforts of the public and private sectors over the past year to commercialize the 5G network, reviewing scattered challenges and presenting agenda items including reports on private sector initiatives and plans (telecommunications companies and manufacturers), the current status of 5G+ strategy implementation, and future plans (government).


Private sector achievements and future plans
5G subscribers surpassed 5.77 million in just one year since its commercialization, and 115,000 base stations have been built.

Going forward, telecommunications companies have decided to increase their network investment in the first half of the year by approximately 50%, from 2.7 trillion won to 4 trillion won, to overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, and to provide approximately 420 billion won in support to small businesses and merchants.

To improve service quality, telecommunications companies are expanding coverage by installing 5G indoor base stations in over 2,000 facilities, including subways, airports, department stores, and small and medium-sized buildings.

Additionally, the company plans to commercialize 5G standalone (SA) and build a 28 GHz band network within this year.

Terminal manufacturers plan to release mid- to low-priced 5G terminals.


5G+ Strategy Implementation Status and Future Plans
In order to fully foster the 5G+ strategic industry, the government will invest approximately 650 billion won in the budget and develop convergence services. To accelerate the discovery and expansion of new businesses, we plan to establish a continuous inspection system along with regulatory innovation and the discovery of new businesses to accelerate the creation of results.

First, the government announced its 2020 goals and key plans for each of the 15 major 5G+ strategic industries.

▲ Fields with technology such as network equipment, next-generation smartphones, wearable devices, information security, realistic content and VR/AR devices, and smart factories aim to expand their global market share.

△Future drones △5G V2X △autonomous vehicles △smart cities △digital healthcare, etc. Fields with established foundations are targeted for commercialization. In particular, 5G V2X is planned to be commercialized in 2024, and autonomous vehicles (level 4 or higher) are planned to be commercialized in 2027.

▲Intelligent CCTV ▲Connected robots ▲Edge computing, and other areas requiring technological development will establish a verification base and move toward technological advancement.

In order to continuously promote the 5G+ strategy, the existing task execution system centered on the Ministry of Science and ICT will be reorganized, and an inspection team will be formed and operated with the participation of specialized agencies from each ministry and public and private organizations.

The inspection team, which will be operated under the chairmanship of the Director of the Information and Communication Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Science and ICT, is planned to be formed within the first half of the year with the Ministry of Science and ICT's responsible officer, officials from specialized agencies of each ministry, experts, and private organizations.

Finally, to achieve and expand the results of the 5G+ strategy, we plan to pursue new projects in 2021, including the development, verification, distribution, and expansion of 5G terminals and services, through inter-ministerial cooperation.

Currently, projects underway include the development of 'Doctor Answer 2.0', which can quickly diagnose and analyze major infectious disease symptoms and diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, fever, and abdominal pain, as well as the development of core technologies for fully autonomous driving, such as autonomous driving data collection and processing, vehicle communication, and security.

The projects currently being planned will be finalized after going through the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's budget review process within the year.

Several private members who participated in the discussion said that there are difficulties in the field, such as decreased sales and difficulties in procuring parts due to COVID-19.However, in the post-COVID era, where remote work, telecommuting, and non-face-to-face medical treatment will become the norm, the company said it expects new growth opportunities through aggressive expansion of 5G infrastructure and discovery of various non-face-to-face services.

The government plans to supplement and concretize the "Implementation Plan for Fostering 5G+ Strategic Industries," including an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the 5G industry, based on the results of the discussion and the operation of the 5G+ Strategy Inspection Team.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT, who is the chairman of the committee, said, “It has already been a year since we commercialized 5G for the first time in the world, but there are still many shortcomings for the public to feel the change,” and added, “We will create concrete results early and overcome the current economic crisis caused by COVID-19 with the 5G+ strategy.”