South Korean mobile network operator (MNO) KT Corp has commercialised 5G standalone (5G SA) technology, making it the first in the country to do so, the ZDNet reports. With the cellco claiming the use of 5G SA will help reduce latency and power consumption for end users, it has said it will offer a software update for subscribers that will allow them to switch their network settings from non-standalone (NSA) to SA. It is understood that the MNO’s 5G SA service will initially be available on the Samsung Galaxy S20 series of handsets, before being expanded to the Galaxy S21 series later this year, while the operator will seek to widen device support going forward.
Meanwhile, the report notes that KT has suggested the commercial introduction of 5G SA will also help with the development of multi-access edge computing, which will allow enterprises to offer more autonomous driving and smart factory services for other businesses.
