The Wi-Fi service at Pusan National University (PNU) frequently experiences disruptions, leading to significant dissatisfaction among users. Building a stable next-generation Wi-Fi network on campus is a major issue, so much so that it is a key agenda of the PNU President. However, it has been found that improvements are difficult due to budget constraints. 

According to a survey conducted by “Channel PNU” from October 5th to 11th, which included 350 campus members from the Busan, Miryang, and Yangsan campuses, 80% (280 people) reported experiencing problems.

The average Wi-Fi satisfaction score was only 2.9 out of 5. Based on multiple responses, most respondents reported issues such as slow Wi-Fi speeds (215 responses), weak Wi-Fi signals (195 responses), and connectivity issues like constant disconnections (175 responses). PNU student A (Dept. of Economics, 22) said, “I felt significant Wi-Fi inconvenience in most lecture rooms, especially in the Economics and International Trade Buildings. The speed is slow and it disconnects frequently, which disrupts classes and makes it difficult to access the web.” PNU student B (Dept. of Architecture, 20) mentioned, “The internet speed in the Construction Building is so slow that it’s difficult to do group work and online research.”

■Eight Out of Ten Feel “Discomfort”

A thorough survey of all 42 buildings on the Busan Campus revealed that the Wi-Fi speed in every building was below the national average speed of 192.41 Mbps (megabits per second), as reported by the National Information Society Agency (NIA) on October 11th. The survey was conducted using the PNU's public Wi-Fi, “PNU-WiFi,” and the NIA's internet quality and speed measurement tool.

There were also differences in Wi-Fi speeds depending on the location. The slowest Wi-Fi download speeds were found on the 4th floor lecture room of the 3rd Engineering Building near the PNU’s main gate, with a speed of 5.68 Mbps, room 304 of the Earth Science Building (9.62 Mbps), the 3rd floor group study room in the Central Library (6.58 Mbps), the Business Building lounge (2.48 Mbps), and the 2nd floor rest area of the 2nd Engineering Building (7.99 Mbps).

Even when Wi-Fi is connected, there are delays in response times after data requests, resulting in longer waiting times. As the delay time increases, lag occurs more frequently, slowing down processing speeds and inconveniencing users. Among the university buildings, the delay time was in the three digits, such as the 3rd floor of the Student Union Building (241.2 ms), the 2nd floor group study room of Moonchang Hall (222 ms), and the 3rd Engineering Building’s lecture room 3311 (165.9 ms). This is worse than the national average of 17.89 ms reported by the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on September 18th, 2023.

As of October 30th, PNU had installed 2,468 access points (AP) in 107 buildings, with 1,867 APs in 85 buildings on the Busan Campus. In 2022, PNU partnered with LG U+ for a 3.1 billion won “Smart Campus Infrastructure Building Project,” which aimed to more than double the speed of wired and wireless internet. As part of this project, 270 additional Wi-Fi6 APs were installed. Despite these efforts, the demand for improved wireless connectivity on campus remains. According to the Office of Information Technology and Services, the number of Wi-Fi-related support requests and issues handled has more than doubled, increasing from 49 cases in the same period in 2023 to 109 cases in 2024.

■Routers Should Be Added Based on User Density

Experts state Wi-Fi speed delays are primarily due to high user density. According to Kim Tae-Woon (Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, PNU), even if devices are evenly installed, issues arise when users are concentrated in certain areas. Kim said, “Public Wi-Fi devices like PNU-WiFi, PNU-WiFi 2.4GHz, and eduroam are evenly installed throughout the campus. But in buildings where many users are concentrated, a decrease in internet speed and an increase in disconnections may occur.” Yoo Young-Hwan (Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, PNU) said, “When there are many users, interference between signals or overloading of cables can occur, limiting download speeds. Adding more routers and extending cables requires construction costs, so securing the necessary budget is crucial for improving Wi-Fi services.”

For stable Wi-Fi service, the “router capacity” is necessary to consider user density. Kim said, “Wi-Fi routers should be selected based on the number of users, session duration, and real-time traffic, especially in areas with high user density. The most practical way is to add new routers to the existing public Wi-Fi infrastructure.”

Nonetheless, physical improvements are difficult. Following the increased use of smart devices after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to install APs and replace cables within the current budget. However, the Office of Information Technology and Services has stated that it will prioritize improving areas with high user traffic and unstable Wi-Fi starting this year. The officer of the Office of Information Technology and Services said, “Instead of providing service ‘everywhere,’ we will focus on providing stable connections in places where users want to use Wi-Fi the most. We will make sure that areas frequently used by students will not experience disconnections.”

Reported Jeong Su-Vin

Translated by Seo Yoo-Jung