Where is 5G available in South Korea? (Updated for 2024)

South Korea’s 5G network has been available since late 2018, but like most 5G networks around the world, it is only accessible to selected customers. The government’s Ministry of Science and Information and Communications predicts that by 2026 his 90 percent of mobile users will have access to the upgraded network.

For those who are not familiar with 5G, here is a quick explanation about 5G. Every 10 years, a new mobile network technology standard is developed to improve on the old mobile network technology standard (in this case his 4G). 5G’s speed is its main advantage over 4G, which allows its 5G network to change the way we live our daily lives.

5G in South Korea

The three companies that have agreed to introduce 5G to South Korea are SK Telecom (SKT), KT, and LG Uplus. The official launch was on December 1, 2018, but only a small number of customers were offered 5G.

On April 3, 2019, 5G services were launched for general consumers. With the launch of Japan’s first 5G mobile phone “Samsung Galaxy S10 5G”, it is possible that it will start connecting to the network on April 5th.

SKT 5G access began as a service exclusively for Meiwa Sangyo, a manufacturing company in Ansan. Later, the company opened up his 5G service to other users through various his 5G plans. Some plans include unlimited data while others have data caps.

SK Telecom began its 5G journey in 2017 with an outdoor 5G trial in Seoul, and shortly thereafter built 5G technology in its self-driving city called K-City. In 2018, the company’s 5G test network enabled his two cars to communicate with each other, and his first live 5G TV broadcast occurred in early 2019. This 5G rollout will bring an end to 2G services.

LG Uplus operates unlimited 5G network plans in Seoul and other nearby locations, and has already installed more than 7,000 5G base stations in 2018 and is aiming for wider coverage. Their first 5G customer was LS Mtron. 5G networks for businesses were rolled out in 2020.

KT Corporation’s 5G plans are called KT 5G Choice and are offered in three packages with unlimited data and data roaming in over 180 countries.

KT first launched its 5G network at Lotte World Tower in Seoul and provided 5G coverage to more than 80 cities by 2020. Before the 5G rollout, KT and Intel introduced his 5G at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They have committed to investing $20 billion through 2023 to research how to get the most out of 5G.