KT Corp deploys 5G hub-type work network at Gyeonggi Provincial Government in public-sector first

Core network equipment consolidated at regional hub

Traffic segmented and controlled by zone in KT research breakthrough

A Gyeonggi Provincial Government official works remotely using KT Corp's 5G hub-type work network. [KT Corp]

KT Corp is upgrading its 5G work network into a hub-type service to transform the working environment for public-sector customers. The company has deployed the service at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government — a first in South Korea — and plans to expand its application going forward.

KT Corp said Monday it is advancing its 5G work network into a hub-type service to enable flexible working environments for public-sector customers. The 5G work network is a communications solution for businesses and public institutions that replaces traditional wired office infrastructure with a 5G wireless network. It supports flexible work without requiring software installation and allows organizations to apply their own internal network security policies even while on the move.

KT Corp said the defining advantage of the hub-type model is network infrastructure efficiency. Rather than having each government agency or local authority build its own separate network — a redundant approach standard where network security approval is required — the new system consolidates core equipment at a single regional hub that subordinate local government bodies can share.

KT Corp's Future Network Lab developed the hub-type 5G work network in-house. The system segments and controls traffic at every point from the end device to the central network, allowing each institution to operate its own network independently while sharing common infrastructure. Adding a new work network also requires no large-scale equipment build-out.

KT Corp said it has deployed the hub-type 5G work network at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, marking the first application of the service in the public sector. The company installed GMG — the core equipment for the 5G work network — at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government data center and activated linked work networks for seven local government bodies under the province, including those in Suwon, Paju and Uijeongbu.

KT Corp also plans to develop additional back-office functions that will allow parent agencies to separate administrative permissions from those of subordinate bodies, strengthening independent operation for customers and overall infrastructure efficiency at the same time.

KT Corp said it has led the commercialization of 5G work networks, starting with the Ministry of Interior and Safety's intelligent pilot project in 2020 and becoming the sole participant in the government's 5G network pilot project in 2022. It has been providing the service to public institutions and other customers since 2024.

The company said the Gyeonggi deployment demonstrates its service capabilities for metropolitan local governments as a provider of the "5G government network service" under the fifth-generation National Information and Communications Service. KT Corp said it has also gained hands-on experience building and operating a 5G work network optimized for local government environments, and plans to continue refining its service model and expanding it across the broader public sector.

"The hub-type 5G work network model is a new business model available to all customers who share internal infrastructure — not only metropolitan local governments but also central government agencies and public institutions," said Jeon Myeong-jun, head of KT Corp's enterprise service division. "KT will become a provider that supports the digital transformation of public-sector customers through a wide range of platform services."

chami@heraldcorp.com