Downtown Seoul will have the world’s fastest and most advanced mobile network from Friday
South Korea is set to become the world’s first country to commercially launch 5G mobile services.
On Friday, telecoms operators in the country will start offering nationwide 5G services, with Samsung’s new 5G-enabled smartphone Galaxy S10 bundled with new contracts.
South Korea is currently in a race with the US, China and Japan to be the first country to introduce 5G services.
In February, South Korea’s Samsung became the world’s first smartphone maker to unveil a 5G phone, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which is ready to hit the market in South Korea on 5th April.
“We are proud of the work we’ve accomplished to bring our first 5G smartphone to market and look forward to bringing it to everyone around the world in the coming year,” DJ Koh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics’ IT and Mobile Communications Division, said on Monday.
Rival LG is also expected to launch its first 5G smartphone in South Korea later this month.
5G technology can offer 20-times faster data speeds (sometimes up to 100-times faster) compared to current 4G networks. With 5G, it will be possible to download entire movies within seconds.
Services will also provide better support for virtual reality and artificial intelligence and will also provide a boost to gaming industry by allowing games to be streamed with minimal delay.
South Korea also expects the new technology to boost its economic growth and to help developments in various fields, including smart cities, industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, drones and various elements of the Internet of Things.
South Korean telecoms operators have reportedly spent billions on infrastructure development and marketing 5G technology. SK Telecom, for example, with a subscriber base of about 27 million, expects to have about one million 5G customers by the end of this year.
Another carrier, KT, formerly Korea Telecom, plans to entice new customers by offering cheaper data rates for its 5G service than its LTE service. According to Reuters, the company is planning to offer four-year contracts to enable customers with limited budgets to buy expensive 5G devices.
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