As the introduction of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots becomes more tangible, the growth focus of the telecommunications market is shifting from wireless telephony to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Communication (IoT).
According to statistics from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of IoT connections rose by 11.0% from 28.96 million in March of last year to 32.14 million this March. In contrast, mobile phone connections increased only 0.7%, from 57.18 million to 57.60 million during the same period.
Due to a declining population, mobile phone connections have stagnated around the 57 million mark. Meanwhile, Intelligent Communication, which was primarily used in industrial settings requiring communication services, is now expanding rapidly due to increased demand for AI.
Of the total increase of 3.18 million IoT connections, remote monitoring accounted for 2.24 million, or 70.4%. This segment is essential for operating AI infrastructure, including AI data center server monitoring, smart factory equipment control, and energy management.
Vehicle monitoring connections followed with an increase of 910,122 (28.8%), while wireless payment connections saw a modest rise of 79,308 (2.5%).
By provider, KT led the growth in remote monitoring, surging from 3.26 million to 4.51 million connections, a 38.3% increase. This growth is attributed to the expansion of smart meter deployment, the supply of AI data center infrastructure connections, and public contracts in the fields of autonomous vehicles and robotics. LG Uplus also saw a 13.0% increase in remote monitoring connections, contributing to an overall 8.0% growth in Intelligent Communication connections.
In contrast, SK Telecom experienced a 3.4% decline in total Intelligent Communication connections, with vehicle monitoring connections dropping significantly from 1.48 million to 1.13 million, a decrease of 23.3%.
Overall wireless traffic increased by 24.0%, rising from 1.205 million TB last March to 1.488 million TB this March. The share of 5G traffic expanded from 90.2% to 92.9%, while 4G traffic decreased from 100,569 TB to 80,041 TB, a drop of 14.4%. Following the decline of 3G, 4G is also entering a phase of natural exit. With the launch of low-cost 5G plans in July, the rate of 4G user attrition may accelerate.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.