INCHEON — Incheon's subway system has become the first urban railway in South Korea to equip every car with fifth-generation (5G) wireless internet, ahead of networks in Seoul and Busan. The upgrade addresses chronic Wi-Fi outages on subway trains and sharply improves data access for commuters during rush hours.
Incheon Transit Corp., the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the country's three mobile carriers said on the 21st that they had fully converted the Wi-Fi backhaul network on 358 cars — 272 on Incheon Subway Line 1 and 86 on Line 2 — from fourth-generation (LTE) to 5G. It is the first time the three carriers have jointly launched 5G Wi-Fi across all cars of a single urban railway in the country.
Measured speeds improved dramatically. Average download speeds inside the cars, recorded at 83.2 Mbps in a 2025 quality assessment, rose to between 215 and 285 Mbps, roughly three times faster than before. High-definition video playback and multiple simultaneous connections now hold up without interruption even during crowded rush hours.
Incheon became the first local government in the Seoul metropolitan area to build out 5G infrastructure because its network size was manageable and policy support was in place. Unlike Seoul, where thousands of cars would require a lengthy full replacement, Incheon's Lines 1 and 2 total 358 cars, giving the three carriers ideal conditions to complete technical verification and equipment replacement quickly. Sustained pressure for quality improvements from the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, combined with overnight work support from Incheon Transit Corp., helped bring the rollout forward.
Rep. Lee Hoon-ki said the core purpose of the upgrade is to raise the quality of free wireless internet on the subway so that residents rely less on expensive mobile plans and pay less for telecommunications.
Incheon Transit Corp. completed on-site quality verification the same day by running a test train on the Line 2 section from the Unyeon rolling stock depot to Incheon City Hall Station. It said it will continue work to minimize radio interference between carriers to maintain a stable communications environment.