'5G to change whole industries'

KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu delivers a keynote speech at the opening of the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Monday. / Courtesy of KT

By Jun Ji-hye

Fifth-generation (5G) network services will change whole industries and innovate existing business models, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu said Monday, announcing Korea will lead the global 5G era by commercializing the world-first 5G services for smartphones in March.

“In this coming March, KT is introducing true 5G mobile services for the first time in the world,” Hwang said during the opening keynote of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona. “With 5G's ultra-fast speed, ultra-low latency and super connectivity features, the 5G smartphone enables true mobile live communication through 4K, 8K and holograms.”

The MWC is the world's largest mobile show that runs until Thursday.

During his keynote speech on “Now a Reality, KT 5G and the Next Intelligent Platform,” Hwang said 5G technology will be used to save lives and change paradigms in the manufacturing industry.

His keynote began with a video clip showing the telecom firm's Skyship disaster and safety management platform.

The Skyship platform, designed to reduce the response time for search and rescue operations in the early stage, comprises an unmanned airship, called Skyship, and a C3 (command, control and communication) station as well as drones and robots.

Hwang stressed the 5G innovation will be highlighted in the business-to-business sector, citing the example of Hyundai Heavy Industries that has been transformed into a 5G-powerd shipbuilding yard.

“A real, greater chapter of 5G innovation will actually expand in the B2B market,” he said.

He said KT's intelligent 5G networks will bring about innovation in diverse areas such as energy, environment and healthcare.

As an example to show how 5G can be utilized in environmental care, he introduced the firm's Air Map Platform that analyzes air quality data sent every minute by the observation network.

“Our plan this year is to bring in more partners, up to thousands. KT has expertise and insights into 5G and they have expertise and insights into their own industries,” he said.

“The 5G's massive connectivity will ensure distribution of benefits from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to all industries and all individuals fairly and economically.”