LG Uplus to Equip 33,000 City Buses Nationwide With Next-Generation Wi-Fi Starting in September

Wi-Fi 7 Based on 5G Networks Introduced
Increased Data Allowance Per Bus

LG Uplus will provide next-generation public Wi-Fi services based on 5G mobile networks on approximately 33,000 city buses nationwide.

According to the telecommunications industry and the Public Procurement Service Nara Marketplace on July 13, LG Uplus was selected last month as the preferred negotiation partner for the "Bus Public Wi-Fi Service Provision and User Support Project."

Bus Public Wi-Fi 5G Pilot Service Launch Ceremony. Photo and article content are unrelated. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

This project involves replacing the public Wi-Fi equipment installed on 32,857 city buses nationwide, excluding Jeju Island, with next-generation Wi-Fi devices based on 5G networks. The total project budget is approximately 59.93 billion won, and the service operation period will last for four years, from September 2026 to the end of August 2030.

In the bidding for this project, LG Uplus received a comprehensive evaluation score of 99.9868 points by combining its bidding price and technical evaluation scores, surpassing KT (96.9868 points) and SK Telecom (94 points).

Through this project, LG Uplus will replace the public Wi-Fi equipment installed on city buses with next-generation Wi-Fi 7 access points (AP) based on 5G networks. Wi-Fi 7 is a next-generation wireless communication technology that offers higher transmission and response speeds than existing Wi-Fi, and it is expected to provide a stable wireless internet environment even during peak commuting hours when user demand surges.

The monthly data allowance provided per bus will also be increased to 300 gigabytes (GB), up from the previous amount. This means that a total of 9,857 terabytes (TB) of data will be provided every month when simply calculated. If the data usage per bus exceeds 300GB, a data safety option (QoS) guaranteeing a minimum speed of 100 Mbps will be applied.

Additionally, there is a condition that the APs must be composed of products from at least three different manufacturers, and they must operate reliably even at speeds exceeding 60 km/h. If a malfunction is reported with the public Wi-Fi equipment, the issue must be resolved within 24 working hours.

The usage of public Wi-Fi on buses continues to increase. Annual data usage grew from 38,728 TB in 2023 to 62,928 TB in 2024. Last year, it reached 75,777 TB, nearly doubling in two years. The industry expects that with the adoption of next-generation Wi-Fi 7 standards and expanded data provision, stable service quality for public Wi-Fi on buses can be maintained.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.