Samsung to deliver private 5G network systems to South Korea’s public, private sectors

South Korea has been at the forefront of 5G development ever since the inception of next-generation networks, and as part of its initiative to advance the country’s private 5G ecosystem, the Korean government has selected Samsung Electronics to provide a diverse selection of its 5G technology to five government agencies and private institutions in the country.

The initiative is designed to allow non-telecom operators to build and operate the 5G networks using the dedicated 4.7GHz and 28GHz frequency bands for private 5G networks.

The project will see Samsung provide its advanced private 5G network systems to an array of entities in the public and private sectors – including energy, safety, water resource management, medical services and medical education. For private 5G network expansion in Korea, Samsung will deliver 5G solutions including Compact Macro, Compact Core and radios supporting 4.7GHz and 28GHz bands. This new project follows Samsung’s recent deployment of Korea’s first private 5G network at Naver’s new headquarters.

In the public sector, Samsung will collaborate with three major government agencies with the intention of helping them ensure workplace safety and efficiency by applying smart, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled connectivity. Korea Electric Power Corporation, the country’s largest electricity utility, plans to deploy smart grid technologies and build digital twins to enhance safety and efficiency in the workplace.

The digital twin is a virtual replica of an electricity substation, and will help with remote monitoring and inspection of the entire site, reducing the need for physical site visits to improve worker safety. 5G-powered wearable cameras and autonomous robots will also boost control and monitoring capabilities at various sites.

Government agency Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, which manages and supports industrial complexes, will deploy a 5G-driven digital safety platform at various work sites. Samsung will help the firm build an AI-based smart monitoring system to detect fire hazards and any other security risks or emergencies in real time.

Korea Water Resources Corporation is to use the 5G technology to build digital twins of river basins to visualise water flow precisely and predict water disasters or flood damages. The digital twins of water purification plants will also aim to provide accurate AI-based simulations of the water purification process, improving accuracy in water management and predictive capabilities.

In the private sector, Samsung will work with two of the largest and most technologically advanced hospitals in South Korea to implement enhanced medical services and immersive use cases.

Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital will introduce smart medical services, such as a 3D rendering of computed tomography, for rapid reconstruction of medical images and real-time, long-distance surgical collaboration using virtual interaction. The Samsung Medical Centre will leverage 5G to enhance its medical education programme. Examples will include remote training using augmented reality (AR) glasses, virtual simulation of live surgical conditions and live-streaming of 360-degree recordings of surgical operations.

“Private 5G networks will enable progressive changes across all industry verticals,” said Yong Chang, vice-president of global sales and marketing, networks business at Samsung Electronics. “Applications like digital twins, autonomous vehicles, AI and AR are only a glimpse of the plethora of use cases Samsung’s 5G can bring to life. Samsung understands the unique needs of enterprises and is capable of delivering optimised network experiences. We are excited to help drive the private 5G ecosystem in Korea.”