"Where Did I Leave My Wireless Earbuds?"...Bluetooth Frequency Rules to Be Eased

[Financial News] The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced on the 10th that it will revise several frequency regulations to remove inconveniences in people’s daily lives and to address difficulties faced by companies in industrial settings.
The latest reforms will be implemented by amending two public notices that set technical standards allowing people to use certain frequencies without separate licenses or approvals.
MSIT conducted an administrative notice from January 8 to 28 to gather public feedback on the draft amendments. With the revision process now complete, the new rules take effect as of today.
There are four main areas of reform.
First, the indoor transmission power limit for Wi-Fi in part of the 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz) will be raised.
In 2020, following the United States, MSIT became the second authority in the world to open the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use and has since continued to improve regulations to promote next-generation Wi-Fi and new wireless technologies. Under the latest changes, the indoor power limit for Wi-Fi in part of the 6 GHz band will increase from 0.5 watts (W) to 1 W. The higher power level is expected to expand coverage and improve communication quality, making high-capacity, ultra-low-latency connections easier to achieve. As a result, artificial intelligence (AI) services and extended reality (XR) content should be delivered more smoothly, and more reliable wireless environments are anticipated in smart factories, offices, and other workplaces.
MSIT is also introducing a regulatory framework for new Bluetooth technologies used to locate wireless earbuds and similar devices.
Until now, location tracking for wireless devices such as earbuds and tablet PCs has relied on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and existing Bluetooth functions, for example by triggering an alarm sound on the device. These methods have made it difficult to pinpoint precise locations indoors. The revision adds a new Bluetooth signal format, enabling services that use low-power, high-efficiency Bluetooth technologies. This is expected to allow much more accurate location tracking and significantly improve user convenience.
Regulations will also be relaxed to make it easier for visually impaired people to move around safely.
Audio guidance devices that provide location information to visually impaired users are currently operated with dedicated remote controls. Because these remotes are inconvenient to carry, there has been growing demand to control the devices via smartphone apps. However, smartphones and audio guidance devices use different frequency bands, which has prevented such integration. To address this, MSIT will now allow gateways that connect audio guidance devices with smartphones to use the same 235.3 MHz band currently assigned to the handheld remotes. This change will enable visually impaired people to use their smartphones instead of remotes to locate audio guidance devices, greatly improving mobility and convenience.
MSIT will also allow the use of TV white space (TVWS)—unused frequency gaps created when TV channels are allocated differently by region—to enhance safety at underground and tunnel construction sites.
Until now, wireless devices using TVWS for data communications could not be deployed in underground or tunnel sections where GPS-based positioning is difficult. The revised rules will permit the use of TVWS data-communication devices in tunnel construction to help manage worker safety. In addition, for mobile devices, whose output had been limited to 100 milliwatts (mW) within 6 MHz—lower than the 1 W allowed for fixed devices within 6 MHz—the power cap will be eased to match that of fixed devices when they are used under specified conditions within designated areas. This will create a foundation for using long-range TVWS data-communication devices at underground and tunnel worksites for real-time safety inspections and worker location tracking.
The reforms focus on supporting new communication environments driven by advances in AI and digital technologies, while reinforcing wireless infrastructure in areas that have been underserved.
Lee Hyun-ho, Director General for Radio Policy at MSIT, said, "These frequency regulation reforms for industry and everyday life are closely tied to people’s daily routines and industrial sites, so citizens and businesses will be able to feel the impact immediately on the ground." He added, "MSIT will continue to listen to feedback from the public and industry and will do its utmost to resolve difficulties related to frequency use."

mkchang@fnnews.com Jang Min-kwon Reporter