801.48 Mbps (million bits per second). This is the average download speed of 5G (5G) mobile communication services of the three telecommunication companies last year, surveyed by the Ministry of Science and ICT. You can download 72,100 sheets of A4 paper (700 Korean characters) per second. It is more than five times faster than the existing LTE speed (150.3 Mbps), but it is far from the “20 times faster communication” that the government and telecommunication companies swore three years ago. It is pointed out that this is because the 28GHz ultra-high frequency band, which is essential for 5G’s theoretical maximum speed of 20Gbps (gigabits per second), is “closed” due to a lack of base stations.
According to the telecommunication industry on the 27th, there is currently no area in Korea where 5G 28GHz commercial service can be used. At the time of commercialization in April 2019, the government and the three telecommunication companies announced that they could introduce innovative services such as metaverse and autonomous vehicles using 28GHz, but they have not yet built a basic base station properly.
The three telecommunication companies, SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+, have each built about 500 28GHz base stations, centered on the Seoul subway. It plans to introduce a Wi-Fi service in the subway using this within the year.
The 28GHz band frequency is essential to realize the maximum speed of 5G radio waves up to 20Gbps. However, in Korea, the service is provided only in the 3.5 GHz band. The 28 GHz radio wave has a strong linearity, so it is difficult to penetrate through paper sheets, let alone building walls. For this reason, it is necessary to build a base station much denser than a 3.5GHz service.
There are few services that can utilize ultra-high-bandwidth frequencies. The level of Wi-Fi service in the subway that is being promoted is all there is to it. The government, three telecommunication companies, Samsung Electronics, and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) formed a ’28GHz deployment activation task force (TF)’ last year and are looking for ways to utilize it.
An industry official said, “The 28GHz band is needed for services that require high-speed and ultra-low latency, such as self-driving cars and metaverses. As the service is neglected, the introduction of innovative services using it is also delayed,” he pointed out.
5G service tailored only to the assortment… “The word 28 GHz is a taboo level”
“The 5th generation (5G) mobile communication will not be about 20 times faster than LTE, but it will be an opportunity for the ‘newness’ to begin.”
In January 2019, Blue House Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min, who was then Minister of Science and ICT, emphasized this. Three months later, on April 4, 2019, the government and the three telecommunication companies joined forces to overtake Verizon, the US telecommunication company by an hour, and took the title of ‘the world’s first 5G commercialization’.
Three years have passed since then. Although the number of 5G service subscribers exceeded 20 million, quantitative growth has been achieved, but the ‘new world’ claimed by the government and telecommunication companies cannot be felt yet. It is pointed out that the service ’20 times faster than LTE’ is only bluff.
○One base station transforms into 3 papers
SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ have recently installed 5G 28 gigahertz (GHz) base stations one after another in the Seoul subway. SK Telecom has built about 500 subway lines on subway lines 2 and 8, KT on lines 5 and 6, and LG U+ on lines 5 and 7, respectively.
The reason why the base station was built is to evaluate the level of 5G frequency implementation. The three telecommunication companies were allocated 800 MHz each in 28 GHz band in 2018. Instead, by the end of last year, 15,000 28 GHz base stations had to be built. If it does not exceed 10% (1500) of the mandatory construction quantity by the end of this month, it will be automatically excluded from the evaluation and the frequencies must be returned.
The problem is that there is no place to utilize the 28GHz frequency. Last year, the government and telecommunication companies decided to introduce a Wi-Fi service using the 28 GHz band to the subway, and made use of it. The government also accepted the request for recognition of the joint construction of the three telecommunication companies. This means that if one carrier establishes one base station, other carriers will also recognize that it has established one. If the three companies build only 1500, it is equivalent to filling 4500 on paper.
There is a 28GHz base station for Wi-Fi, but it is only possible to use it at the end of the year. This is because a router (AP) that can accept the 28GHz frequency has not yet been released. An official from a telecommunication company said, “From the user’s point of view, there is no way to know if the connected Wi-Fi uses 28 GHz.
○28㎓ standard led, but I couldn’t find a place to use it
5G service is divided into low band (sub-6) below 6 GHz and ultra-high frequency (mmWave) exceeding 6 GHz. In Korea, the 3.5GHz and 28GHz bands are being used as frequencies for 5G. In particular, Korea led the establishment of standards for 5G services in the 28GHz band. Declaring the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as the ‘5G Olympics’, a 28GHz pilot operation was also conducted. There were also rosy prospects that domestic companies could take the lead in the market by preoccupying technological standards.
Although three years have passed since commercialization, it is difficult to find a 28GHz service not only in Korea, but also anywhere in the world. This is because it is difficult to install a nationwide network due to the nature of 28 GHz with strong straightness. It is estimated that the cost of building a 28 GHz nationwide network will be 10 times higher than that of 3.5 GHz. The US also started service in the very high frequency band, but turned to the band below 6 GHz.
The government’s position on the 28GHz band has also changed. In October 2020, then Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young responded to a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly, saying, “The 28 GHz band is not considering the service of all people.
○ The telecommunications company who insulted “20 times faster” is also the original sin
However, there has been no proper B2B service so far. Telecommunication companies agreed, saying, “There is currently no place to utilize 28GHz.” This means that there are no devices, contents, or services that can fully use the 28GHz band yet. An official from a telecommunication company said, “Ultra-high-bandwidth frequencies can be used for metaverses, autonomous vehicles, and smart factories due to their high-speed, ultra-low latency, and hyper-connection characteristics, but these technologies are not yet ripe. level,” he said.
However, the industry is of the opinion that if there is a faster and lower latency network, new services can be created accordingly. An official from a platform company explained, “You can test services that use a lot of data, such as Metaverse and Digital Twin, depending on the network conditions.”
Criticism is raised that there is ‘original sin’ even at the telecommunication company, which was eager to attract customers with ’20 times faster service’. In 2019, the first year of 5G commercialization, the amount of equipment investment of the three telecommunication companies was 9.61 trillion won, but last year, it decreased to 8.21 trillion won. On the other hand, the operating profit of the three telecommunication companies increased from 3.86.4 trillion won to 4.24 trillion won during the same period. It is the first time in 10 years that the operating profit of the three telecommunication companies has exceeded 4 trillion won.
An expert said, “The need for 28 GHz will grow in the future.” “We need support so that the industry can find a way to use it while keeping the original mandatory construction quantity.”
Reporter Lee Seung-woo leeswoo@hankyung.com
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