South Korea is looking to steal a march on the rest of the world by launching 5Gnetworks next year.
Reports from the country have claimed that the super fast networks will be unveiled on Korea 5G Day”, likely to be in March 2019 - ahead of the 2020 worldwide expected launch date.
The networks will be jointly introduced by the country's three largest operators, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, according to Joongang Daily, which added the combined launch would, "avoid excessive competition".
South Korea has long been a pioneer in telecoms and networking, with many of the world's top technology firms in these industries originating from the country.
The launch is being backed by the South Korean government, with Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Young-min stating that “It is important for mobile carriers to avoid heated competition for the title of world’s first 5G service provider.”
Back in January, Yoo asked the three firms to collaborate on 5G technology to meet a previously agreed timeline for commercial operations in 2019.
The operators will also work together with the country's small and mid-sized companies to develop relevant 5G use cases for businesses.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/news/south-korea-plans-early-5g-launch
