South Korea's telecom giants KT Corporation and SK Telecom have launched the world's first nationwide emergency telecommunications network with Samsung Electronics to enhance the country's response against natural disasters and emergencies.

The government-led next-generation wireless network is expected to increase efficiency in prevention of and response to natural disasters and accidents through a combined on-site command and close communication among relevant agencies.

The project, which started in 2015, merged the networks of 333 state institutes, including police, railway, defense and firefighting agencies and it is the world's first to cover a country's entire land area and waters.

Through the network, agencies can closely work together and respond to emergencies, with up to two-thousand-500 devices able to simultaneously communicate in real-time even in extreme elevations such as mountainous and underground areas.