Simplifying the 28GHz 5G Mobile Radio Measurement Process
US 28GHz 5G service achieves only 0.5% connection time
Expanding existing 3.5GHz 5G infrastructure is more important.


Before the launch of 5G mobile phones using the millimeter wave (mmWave) band (28GHz), the electromagnetic wave measurement time will be shortened to the level of LTE mobile phones.

The National Radio Research Agency announced on the 14th that it will shorten the time required for electromagnetic wave measurements, which are essential for launching 5G mobile phones, to the level of LTE.

Accordingly, the launch of new 28GHz and 3.5GHz 5G mobile phones is expected to accelerate.

Before mobile phones can be released, they must be tested for electromagnetic radiation exposure to ensure compliance with EMF human protection standards. Unlike LTE, 5G uses multiple antennas and multiple beams, making certification testing time-consuming.

Therefore, rather than measuring all scenarios, measurement guidelines have been developed to protect the human body and simplify measurement by identifying and measuring conditions where electromagnetic waves are at their peak. Applying these improved guidelines is expected to shorten measurement times for 28 GHz 5G mobile phones to around 40 days, similar to LTE, and consequently reduce costs.

The measurement time for the already simplified 3.5GHz 5G mobile phone will also be shortened from two weeks to one week. 3.5GHz 5G phones take a long time to measure for similar reasons to 28GHz phones, but the first simplification was already carried out in March of last year.

The National Radio Research Agency stated, “We expect that with these measurement guidelines, the 28GHz 5G mobile phone scheduled to be released in the second half of this year will be commercialized without a hitch.”

However, the 28GHz 5G phones that will benefit from this simplification are unlikely to be available until at least this year, as the 28GHz infrastructure has not yet been built.

“The 28GHz 5G equipment and service ecosystem has not yet been established,” SK Telecom CFO Yoon Poong-young said during the first-quarter earnings conference call.

Samsung and LG added 28GHz 5G modules only to their 5G phones sold in the US market because the relevant infrastructure isn't built outside the US. However, the situation in the US is also challenging.

Verizon, the leading mobile carrier in the United States, already built 28GHz infrastructure and launched 5G service last year. The download speed was about twice as fast as the 3.5GHz 5G service of the three domestic mobile carriers, but the connection time was only 0.5%.

Considering that the 5G connection time of the three domestic mobile carriers is around 12-15%, Verizon's commercialization of 28GHz 5G service is significant only in that it has built the infrastructure ahead of others.

Related Article: 5G Service Continues to Demand Absolute Quality, Despite Persistent Complaints

Complaints about domestic 5G service are rising daily, with claims like "there aren't many places with coverage," "it doesn't work indoors," and "we're paying a lot for LTE service." However, quality is relatively among the best in the world. Absolute standards simply don't meet consumer expectations.

The government will invest 40 billion won this year in developing 5G convergence services. This marks the third consecutive year of the project, bringing the total investment to 120 billion won. This is evidence that the mobile communications industry has yet to find a suitable business model for 5G.

While finding a 5G B2B business model is certainly beneficial, shouldn't the priority be to improve the quality of the currently commercialized 3.5GHz 5G service to a satisfactory level to restore public trust in 5G technology?

On the 8th, the three mobile carriers were fined a total of 51.2 billion won for illegally subsidizing competing 5G networks. This amount was lower than the projected 70 billion won. The reduction was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the strengthening of financial support for small businesses, and the recognition of their contributions as the world's first commercialized 5G network.

Furthermore, the securities industry predicts that the three mobile carriers will achieve a combined revenue of 14.0172 trillion won and operating profit of 863.1 billion won in the second quarter of this year. This is due to an increase in subscribers to high-priced 5G services, leading to an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU). While SK Telecom's operating profit slightly declined (down 0.4%) compared to the same period last year, KT (up 16.9%) and LG Uplus (up 37.7%) saw significant increases.

In response to concerns that 5G plans are expensive and slow to expand, the government announced that it would introduce a universal 5G plan priced at less than 40,000 won to reduce household telecommunications costs, but the three major mobile carriers strongly opposed the plan.

If we can't introduce a low-cost 5G plan, there's only one answer left.

The goal is to further expand the number of 3.5GHz 5G base stations to improve 5G quality. If 5G quality cannot be improved, the reliability of 5G standalone (SA) mode, 28GHz band 5G, and even 6G technologies in the future will be questioned.