Huawei Opens Its First 5G OpenLab in South Korea, Partnering With Korean SMEs to Build 5G Ecosystem

Huawei opened its first 5G OpenLab in Seoul today. Representatives from the South Korean telecom industry organizations, telecom operators, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attended the opening ceremony. Through the OpenLab, Huawei aims to drive 5G and ICT development in South Korea, and provide 5G testing environments and interoperability services for SMEs and start-ups. Its ultimate goal is to build a healthy 5G ecosystem locally and achieve shared success through collaboration.

Huawei’s 5G OpenLab provides 5G network testing and verification environments for partners and helps Korean enterprises use 5G networks to incubate new services. Behind this OpenLab is Huawei’s extensive experience in providing leading products and services around the world. Huawei will use this experience to offer a range of services for its partners, including 5G technical training, technological and business innovation support, and 5G demonstrations and promotion.

The OpenLab is primarily designed for four major industry scenarios: Cloud VR/AR, connected vehicles, robots, and intelligent manufacturing. In the lab, Huawei has deployed end-to-end 5G network equipment (including the latest 5G base stations, core networks, and transport networks) for its partners to use for free. In the future, Huawei plans to invest approximately US$5 million in the operations of 5G OpenLab.

Yang Chaobin, President of Huawei 5G Product Line, spoke at the opening ceremony, emphasizing that the success of 5G depends heavily on collaboration within the industry and with other industries.

“Alone we walk fast; together we walk far,” he said. “5G will bring industries closer, and create complexity and diversity in business scenarios. This is something that no single company can handle alone. As a leading global 5G solutions provider, Huawei is more than happy to work with industry partners to advance the 5G ecosystem.”

According to a representative of Korean SMEs, “5G will reshape the telecoms market, while bringing challenges for enterprises. To address these challenges, we must build service platforms that deliver the best experience to consumers. Huawei’s 5G OpenLab will offer 5G testing environments, business innovation, and other services to SME, supporting them explore more 5G service scenarios and incubate more 5G services.”

“I wish that Huawei’s first 5G OpenLab will incubate more new 5G services and create opportunities for Huawei and SMEs in South Korea to achieve shared success through collaboration”, said Kim Dong Ku, Chairman of the Executive Committee of 5G Forum. “Together, we wish to create the opportunity to lead the world’s 5G market.” said Mr. Kim Dong-ku, Chairman of Executive Committee, 5G Forum.

Huawei South Korea CEO Meng Shaoyun said, “South Korea is the first country to put 5G into large-scale commercial use. During its 17 years of operations in South Korea, Huawei has been committed to the principle of ‘in South Korea, for South Korea’. We will leverage our leading strengths in 5G networks and work with ICT companies, especially SMEs, to foster a 5G ecosystem locally.”