South Korea launches test bed for 5G devices

Seoul: South Korea’s ICT ministry has opened a testing facility for products that run on 5G networks in a move to support small and mid-sized companies.

The country has earmarked a total of $13.8 million from 2019 to 2023 to develop the testing center in Gumi, about 260 kms southeast of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The facility aims to support local companies in checking whether their connected devices work properly on local and global 5G networks before commercialisation, reports Yonhap news agency.

While the test bed has so far established infrastructure for products that run on non-standalone 5G, which requires support from 4G LTE, the ministry said it will introduce standalone 5G infrastructure this year.