“The vision for the 5G network and its global standardization schedule has been agreed based on our suggestion. This has shown that Korea is leading the world’s mobile communication technology and related policies,” an official from The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. “We will beef up international cooperation to have the agreement approved without any problems.” The ministry said that the group decided to define 5G as a network that will have to transmit data speeds of up to 20Gbps (Gigabits per second), which is 20 times faster than the 1Gbps specification for 4G. In other words, the users can download one ultra high-definition movie in 10 seconds. Depending on a number of factors, the 5G network will also have a capacity to provide customers with data speeds in the range of 100 to 1000 Mbps. This means that the increase would be anywhere from a 10 to 100 fold over typical 4G speed of 10Mbps. Access to higher resolution 4K video content and holographic technology via mobile networks is expected to open up with this big increase in bandwidth and data speeds. The specification also helps the future internet-of-things technologies. 5G will have to be able to supply more than 100 Mbps average data transmission to over 1 million Internet of things devices within 1 square kilometer. The ITU has determined that the name of the 5G network will be known as IMT-2020, following the IMT-2000 for the third-generation network and the IMT-Advanced for the fourth-generation network. The group will start looking for technologies to use for the standard very soon. The ministry said the official name will be finalised at the ITU’s Radio Assembly in Geneva in October, following approval from the 193 ITU member countries. The local telecom company, KT recently uncovered its own 1.17Gbps network, which looks to bridge the gap between 4G and 5G. LTE and WiFi broadband network hotspots make use of its GiGA LTE network to provide faster speeds to consumers. This was an ITU consideration to help nations meet the higher bandwidth requirements of 5G. International spectrum for the 5G network should begin distribution in 2019. The group has also decided to commercialize 5G network worldwide by 2020. It will do so by receiving applications for technology that can become candidates for the standard for the new network. “We will speed up the 5G network technology development to reflect our own global standard. To do so, we will showcase a successful example at the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games,” the ministry official said. The ministry said it will work to take the most important role in the spectrum distribution at the forthcoming global telecommunication meetings scheduled for July and November.
