The number of 5G subscribers has reached 260,000 in South Korea, according the government. The Ministry of Science and ICT issued the statement weeks after operators launched 5G mobile commercial services.
Consumers have however filed some complaints related to the coverage and speed of 5G. The main problem was that mobile devices were displaying a 5G symbol when users on LTE were near base stations compatible with 5G. The Ministry confirmed that facing such issues is very normal given that operators are still building base stations and upgrading software.
A total of 54,202 5G base stations have been deployed so far, an increase of 7 per cent from 22 April, however coverage in the country was still restricted to urban and more populous areas.
Korea has been pioneering the journey to 5G deployment, being one of the first in the world to offer 5G to mobile consumers. Operators in the country had also launched commercial 5G services to businesses using mobile routers.
Out of the 260,000 subscribers, KT, the country’s second largest operator, has announced it secured 100,000 subscribers so farm whereas SKT and LG Uplus are yet to reveal their figures.