The next-generation wireless standard "Wi-Fi 7" will be introduced to public Wi-Fi on city buses nationwide. The aim is to provide fast and reliable free internet access while using public transportation, easing people's mobile bills and improving access to digital services on the move.
National Information Society Agency (NIA) and the Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 28th they will fully push ahead with an upgrade of public Wi-Fi on city buses nationwide. A related bidding notice is underway, and the plan is to select a preferred bidder in the first half, then begin service within the year after equipment installation and a pilot run.
Public Wi-Fi on buses is a representative public digital infrastructure that provides free wireless internet to city bus users nationwide. As on-the-go data use has increased recently—such as watching mobile video, using messengers, and accessing work cloud services—criticism has mounted that existing equipment has limits in improving quality. In fact, public Wi-Fi data usage on buses reached 75,777 TB last year, about double the 38,728 TB in 2023.
NIA and the Ministry of Science and ICT plan to replace existing public Wi-Fi equipment on about 29,000 city buses nationwide with Wi-Fi 7 wireless routers (AP) using a 5G backhaul. The monthly data allotment per bus will also increase from 200 GB to 300 GB. Even after exceeding the contracted threshold, service standards were strengthened to maintain speeds of at least 100 Mbps through quality of service (QoS).
The operating system will also be revamped. The bus public Wi-Fi project, previously managed in phases 1 to 3, will be reorganized into an integrated operation method to enhance quality control and maintenance efficiency.
Wi-Fi 7 is a next-generation technology that improves transmission and response speeds over Wi-Fi 6 and 6E. It supports up to 320 MHz bandwidth and applies multi-link operation (MLO), which uses multiple frequency bands simultaneously, to reduce dropouts while moving. Quality for video streaming and high-capacity services is expected to improve even during rush hours, when many users connect at the same time.
The upgrade of public Wi-Fi is also tied to the spread of AI services. As services that require real-time connections increase—like Generative AI search, translation, and learning services—network quality on the move is becoming a key condition for digital accessibility. To realize the government's emphasis on "AI for all," there is an assessment that stable internet access is needed not only at home or in offices but also in everyday spaces like buses.
Details of the project can be found on the Public Procurement Service's KONEPS.