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Hana Financial Group inaugurates the first private 5G smart office in South Korea for the financial sector Published on 28 September 2026 by Christ-loisele (2 min read)
Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom have deployed a secure private 5G network across 16 floors of Hana Financial Group’s Incheon headquarters, marking a global first in finance. This project combines mobility, network isolation, and future integration with AI to transform workplace environments.
A dedicated 5G network to meet the strict requirements of finance
The deployment by Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom at Hana Financial Group’s Incheon headquarters relies on a private 5G infrastructure covering 16 floors, housing approximately 3,000 employees spread across 10 subsidiaries of the group. According to Light Reading , this network uses mid-band spectrum (4.7 GHz) allocated by the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT , with total physical isolation from public networks. This separation ensures that financial data remains confined to a controlled environment, compliant with banking security standards.
The solution includes strict USIM authentication, wireless segment encryption, firewalls, and protection systems against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, as noted by en.sedaily.com . Only authorized devices, laptops, tablets, and 5G-compatible phones, can access the network, with centralized management of outages and usage statuses.
Hana Financial Group’s smart office is a flagship example of AI Transformation, combining 5G, security, and operational innovation to rethink work in the financial sector.
Photo: Hana Financial Group Logo (Hana Financial Group, Public domain) A comprehensive technical architecture for increased flexibility
Samsung Electronics provided all network components: radios, cloud-native core network, and baseband solutions, according to Light Reading . The 5G Standalone Core technology enables network slicing to create independent operational environments tailored to each subsidiary’s specific security policies. This approach reduces reliance on traditional cabling and simplifies wired network management, as indicated by finance.biggo.com .
The project also leverages infrastructure designed for future expansion with smart building systems, mobile access badges, and AI-powered services for video surveillance and workforce management, according to en.sedaily.com . SK Telecom emphasizes that this architecture serves as a model for AI Transformation (AX) , merging 5G, security, and process automation.
What this means here: opportunities for West African financial institutions
For banks and financial institutions in Benin or West Africa, a similar deployment of private 5G networks could provide enhanced security for sensitive transactions while reducing the maintenance costs of wired infrastructure. Isolated networks, like Hana Financial Group’s, would help meet local compliance requirements (such as the standards of the West African Central Bank ) without relying on public operators, often overloaded.
The gradual integration of AI for monitoring or access could also optimize the management of workspaces, as planned by SK Telecom. However, deployment would require coordination between local regulators (such as the Bénin Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Agency ) and technological partners capable of providing solutions tailored to the spectrum and budget constraints of African markets.
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