KCA (Korea Communications Agency) announced on the 9th that the number of private 5G sites operating in Korea—implemented by enterprises, institutions, and public organizations—has officially surpassed 100. This milestone comes about four years after the domestic private 5G adoption policy began in earnest on October 28, 2021, with private 5G deployment achieving an average annual growth rate of approximately 60% over the past four years.

Figure 1. Number of Private 5G Deployments in Korea

Korea began deploying private 5G networks in early 2022. As of November 28, 2025, there have been 82 cases where private 5G operators built the networks, and 18 cases where companies directly deployed their own private 5G networks.

Trend: Cases where private 5G operators deploy private 5G networks for enterprises are driving the overall increase in deployments.

• Deployments by private 5G operators: Linear growth
• Direct deployments by enterprises: Stagnation

​There are 28 private 5G operators active in Korea, and as of November 2025, Wizcore, SMC, Newgens, and KT MOS North are leading in terms of customer acquisition.

Figure 2. Number of Customers by Private 5G Operator (28 private 5G operators, 100 total deployments, November 2025)

Expansion Across Diverse Industry Sectors

KCA emphasized that private 5G networks are being adopted in a wide range of industrial environments—including AI-based robots and sensors, logistics automation, smart factories, smart ports, healthcare, construction, and education—contributing to digital transformation and improved operational efficiency.

Recently, smart office cases have also emerged, such as those by HFR, where entire buildings are connected through a private 5G network to enable integrated management of AI-based predictive maintenance, safety services, and automated delivery.

HFR is a mid-sized telecommunications equipment company that provides everything from private 5G equipment development to network operation services, and is also a licensed private 5G operator.

Future Plans and Outlook

A KCA official stated, “Surpassing 100 sites is the result of systematic policies led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the KCA Support Center, combined with strong adoption momentum from industry.” The official added, “We will continue to strengthen customized consulting for enterprises, promote the allocation of additional frequencies, and pursue regulatory improvements so that private 5G can firmly establish itself as core infrastructure for industrial transformation.”

In particular, as various real-world deployments—such as AI-driven smart factories, smart logistics centers, smart offices, and smart ports—enter actual operation, private 5G is increasingly recognized as critical infrastructure driving digital transformation across future industries.

KCA’s announcement on the current status of private 5G adoption marks a significant milestone, demonstrating that private 5G—aimed at enabling smarter, more automated, and digitally transformed industrial sites—has entered a full-scale deployment phase.