Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom are bringing private 5G connectivity into one of South Korea's most security-sensitive industries, deploying a dedicated wireless network across Hana Financial Group's new headquarters in Incheon. The project creates what the companies describe as the first 5G private-network-based smart office in Korea's financial sector, giving roughly 3,000 employees access to their corporate network without being tied to fixed desks or traditional wired connections. Samsung is serving as the sole supplier of the enterprise 5G core and radio solutions, while SK Telecom is leading the network deployment alongside Hana Financial Group and its IT subsidiary, Hana Financial TI.
Image Courtesy : news.samsung.com
The deployment covers 16 floors of Hana Financial Group's Cheongna headquarters, extending from the basement level through the 15th floor and encompassing both dedicated work areas and shared spaces. Employees from Hana Financial Group and 10 affiliated companies are moving into the new facility in phases, with the private network allowing them to connect from desks, meeting rooms and collaboration areas using compatible laptops, tablets and other work devices. Instead of requiring employees to remain connected to a particular wired network port, the system is designed to allow the same corporate work environment to follow them throughout the building.
That shift is particularly significant in financial services, where strict security and network-separation requirements have historically encouraged institutions to maintain highly controlled, wired workplace environments. Moving a desk or reorganizing an office could require network cabling changes, while employees working in meeting rooms or collaborative spaces could encounter limitations compared with their fixed workstations. The private 5G architecture is intended to remove some of those physical constraints while preserving the network isolation and security controls expected by a financial institution.
The network uses dedicated spectrum allocated to Hana Financial Group by South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT, creating a private wireless environment that is separated from external telecommunications infrastructure. A secure USIM-based authentication system limits access to registered work devices and authorized users, adding another layer of control over who can connect to the corporate environment. Samsung's enterprise-grade 5G core and radio equipment provides the underlying network infrastructure, while SK Telecom and Hana Financial TI handle deployment, operations and integration with Hana's existing systems.
Security is one of the central features of the deployment rather than simply an additional benefit of the technology. SK Telecom and Hana Financial Group have implemented encryption across the 5G wireless portion of the network and subscriber information, alongside firewalls, distributed-denial-of-service protection and access controls. The architecture also incorporates network slicing and physical network separation, allowing individual Hana affiliates to maintain independent work networks with configurations tailored to their respective security requirements and business operations.
For Samsung, the project represents an expansion of private 5G technology beyond the industrial environments where these networks have traditionally been deployed. Private 5G has been used in settings such as manufacturing, logistics, ports and other facilities where dedicated connectivity can support automation and operational systems. Financial offices present a different challenge because the primary requirements center on secure mobility, network separation and reliable access to enterprise applications rather than industrial machines. Samsung's Networks Business has described the Hana deployment as an example of private 5G capabilities extending into enterprise environments such as financial services.
The partnership also gives SK Telecom a prominent financial-sector reference for its enterprise business. The telecommunications company is positioning the project as part of its broader enterprise AI transformation strategy, arguing that AI- and data-driven workplaces require employees and systems to have secure and reliable access to corporate resources from wherever work takes place. Rather than viewing the network simply as a replacement for Ethernet cables, SK Telecom designed the infrastructure with future AI and smart-building applications in mind.
That future-oriented design could allow the network to support considerably more than employee laptops and tablets. SK Telecom says the infrastructure can eventually be connected with smart-building systems, intelligent access controls, AI-powered CCTV, mobile employee identification systems and AI-based workplace services. A centralized management system is also designed to monitor network usage and faults, giving administrators a unified view of the infrastructure as more services are added.
Samsung is also emphasizing the role of AI in the evolution of enterprise networks. The company has argued that AI optimization should eventually extend across the entire connectivity chain, from devices and radio access networks to transport infrastructure, the 5G core, edge computing, cloud services and applications. That approach could become increasingly relevant as companies deploy AI systems that require consistent connectivity between employees, devices, cloud infrastructure and real-time enterprise applications.
The Hana project therefore provides Samsung with an opportunity to demonstrate its broader vision for enterprise networking at a time when businesses are increasingly moving away from isolated technology systems. A private 5G network can provide a common connectivity layer for employee devices, building systems and future AI applications while giving the organization more direct control over network access and security. For a large financial group, that combination of mobility and controlled connectivity is particularly important because the benefits of wireless access have to be balanced against stringent requirements surrounding sensitive corporate information.
The use of network slicing is another notable element of the deployment. Instead of treating the entire private network as a single undifferentiated environment, the technology can divide network resources into logically separated segments. Hana's affiliates can therefore operate independent network environments while sharing the underlying infrastructure, allowing different organizations within the group to apply their own security policies and operational requirements.
The move could also change how Hana Financial Group thinks about physical office space. With network access no longer dependent on a particular desk or wired connection, work areas can potentially be rearranged more easily around collaboration, meetings and different working styles. The company can reduce some of the infrastructure work associated with moving network connections whenever seating arrangements change, while employees can move between different parts of the building without leaving the corporate network behind.
For SK Telecom, the project could serve as a template for taking private 5G into additional highly regulated industries. The company has already deployed private networks in manufacturing, logistics and public-sector environments, but financial services impose particularly demanding requirements for security and network separation. Establishing a working deployment across a major financial headquarters gives SK Telecom and Samsung a real-world example that could be used when pursuing similar enterprise projects in Korea and other markets.
The project also illustrates how the definition of a smart office is changing. Earlier workplace modernization efforts often centered on Wi-Fi upgrades, cloud applications, video conferencing and collaboration software. Private 5G adds another layer by making the underlying connectivity infrastructure programmable, segmented and tightly controlled, potentially allowing organizations to connect employees, devices, security systems and AI services through a common enterprise network.
For Samsung, that creates an opportunity to move deeper into enterprise infrastructure at a time when demand for dedicated networks is expanding beyond traditional telecom operators. The company is not merely supplying smartphones or consumer networking equipment in this project; it is providing the core and radio infrastructure supporting a mission-critical corporate environment. Its role as the sole enterprise 5G equipment supplier gives the company a significant reference deployment in one of the most demanding sectors for network security.
The Hana Financial Group deployment ultimately demonstrates why private 5G is attracting attention as companies rethink their workplaces around mobility and AI. The technology gives employees wireless access to corporate systems while allowing the organization to retain control over authentication, network separation, encryption and traffic management. In Hana's case, the network spans 16 floors and thousands of employees, making it substantially more than a small technology demonstration.
As Hana Financial Group continues moving employees into its Cheongna headquarters, the private 5G infrastructure is expected to provide the foundation for a more flexible workplace while supporting the group's longer-term push toward AI- and data-driven operations. Samsung and SK Telecom are effectively positioning the project as a model for how secure wireless connectivity can coexist with the strict requirements of financial institutions. If private 5G continues moving from factories and logistics facilities into corporate offices, deployments like Hana's could become an increasingly important part of the next generation of enterprise networking.