The overall quality of location information provided by the three mobile carriers to emergency response agencies such as fire and police has improved.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission on the 21st announced the "2025 emergency rescue location information quality measurement results" for the three mobile carriers and mobile phone handsets. This evaluation was conducted at 170 locations nationwide, reflecting various environments such as urban areas, mountain regions, indoors and outdoors, and crime‑prone areas.
The measurements showed that, on average across the three carriers, base station method location accuracy improved to 22.0 meters from 25.0 meters last year. The location response time increased slightly to 1.9 seconds from 1.4 seconds, but the rate of meeting the location criteria, included for the first time this year, reached 99.6%. For GPS, accuracy improved to 12.3 meters from 12.7 meters, and for Wi‑Fi, to 17.1 meters from 18.7 meters. The GPS method's criteria compliance rate rose to 99.2% from 99.0%, and the Wi‑Fi method's to 99.4% from 98.9%.
By operator, base station method accuracy was best at KT with 15.1 meters, followed by SK Telecom at 22.3 meters and LG Uplus at 23.3 meters. In the GPS method, SK Telecom was most accurate at 9.2 meters, followed by KT at 13.1 meters and LG Uplus at 16.0 meters. For Wi‑Fi, SK Telecom measured 12.6 meters, KT 14.9 meters, and LG Uplus 21.6 meters. KT generally had the shortest location response time, and in the base station method, KT recorded a 100% criteria compliance rate.
Apple's iPhone, included for the first time this year, was found to provide composite positioning information calculated by the device itself when a GPS request is made. The iPhone's location accuracy was 24.3 meters, location response time was 17.6 seconds, and the criteria compliance rate was 97.5%.
Apple said it will improve the response time by early 2027. In device function measurements, the base station method was provided on all devices, and the Wi‑Fi method was available on unlocked, SIM‑switched, and kids' phones, but it was not supported on foreign devices such as Apple and Xiaomi.
Emergency rescue location information is not a simple convenience feature but a rescue infrastructure grounded in law. The Location Information Act allows emergency response agencies and police stations to request carriers to provide personal location information for rescue, while restricting the use of such information for purposes other than emergency rescue.
Guidelines from the National Fire Agency also stipulate that, after a 119 call is received, if it is necessary to verify the caller's location, carriers should be asked for location information. As accuracy improves, systems to prevent misuse and abuse of information are becoming increasingly important as well.