South Korea’s network upgrades aligned with digital objectives

South Korea’s Vice Minister of Science and ICT, Park Yun-Kyu, unveiled the country’s plans to enhance its fixed and mobile infrastructure in response to a surge in data traffic. Speaking at the GSMA M360 APAC event in Seoul, Park emphasized the importance of collaborating with the private sector in driving research and development (R&D) efforts.

These efforts are part of South Korea’s K-Network 2030 program, which was launched earlier in 2023. The program aims to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors in R&D for next-generation networks, satellite communications, and quantum communications, with the goal of creating a digitally prosperous society.

K-Network 2030 also focuses on innovation in software-based networks and strengthening supply chains. The program aims to demonstrate pre-6G technologies by 2026 and initiate satellite network pilots in the following year.

South Korea plans to double the data rates on its backbone networks by 2026 and quadruple them by 2030, anticipating a six-fold increase in data traffic by 2027 compared to 2021. Additionally, the country intends to expand the capacity of undersea cables to accommodate these growing data demands.