LG CNS established its 5G network system at Kyung Hee University last December

LG CNS, which is the IT division of South Korea’s LG Group, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kyung Hee University to jointly develop technologies for a private 5G service, dubbed e-Um in Korea, with the aim of serving customers in the manufacturing and logistics fields, local press reported.

“With this academic-industry cooperation, we will be able to improve utilization of the e-Um 5G service for industry purposes such as manufacturing and logistics and innovate customer experience,” Kim Tae-hoon, head of cloud business at LG CNS, said.

The IT service provider said it is planning to carry out a trial with the university with the aim of collecting data on the electric currents, temperatures and vibrations of the motors attached to smart factory robots and conveyor belts. The partners will then utilize artificial intelligence to analyze the data.

LG CNS established its 5G network system at Kyung Hee University last December and also introduced its 5G core system for the first time there. The system integrates computer terminals, base stations and networksone, the company explained.

LG CNS revealed plans to expand the 5G network at the university, which would allow remote controlling and monitoring of unmanned aerial vehicles, automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots in the area.

In March 2022, LG CNS applied for government permission to become the second domestic operator of a private 5G network.

According to press reports at the time, LG CNS said that it wanted to accelerate the digital transformation of manufacturing customers by combining 5G with smart factories. The company had already introduced its Factova, which is an integrated smart factory platform based on AI, big data and IoT.

The Korean government has also said that private 5G network operators can use regional monopoly rights to conduct business-to-business (B2B) communication services in limited areas.

In December 2021, the Ministry of Science and ICT said that Naver Cloud was registered as South Korea’s first company to provide a telecom service using a private 5G network. Naver Cloud, which is a cloud computing unit of South Korea’s top web portal operator and IT company, said it aims to establish a smart office using a private 5G network at a new robot-friendly building under construction in Bundang in the southern satellite city of Seoul.

For services to other companies, Naver Cloud will provide cloud data centers and private 5G networks, while Naver Labs will offer ultra-large AI and 5G brainless robots.

In August 2022, South Korean tech firm Samsung had announced a tranche of new private 5G deployments in its home country, including with three public sector agencies and two private sector hospitals. All the deployments utilize the 4.7 GHz and 28 GHz bands in South Korea, made available by the government as dedicated frequencies for private 5G networks, as part of the government’s initiative to “advance the country’s private 5G ecosystem”.

Samsung said it is targeting further private 5G deployments at home in the energy, safety, water resource management, medical services and medical education sectors.