KT Chairman Hwang Chang-Gyu, second from left, inspects new 5G infrastructure in downtown Seoul with leaders from the company's Network Strategy Unit: from left, Seo Chang-Seok, Executive Vice President; Oh Sung-Mok, President; and Choi Jin-ho, Executive Vice President. Courtesy of KT

Korea's top telecom operator to bet all in 5G

KT, Korea’s leading telecom company, expected on April 12 that the number of fifth-generation (5G) mobile service users would reach 1 billion in 2023 and 2.7 billion in 2025 across the globe.

The optimistic outlook on the 5G services, which debuted here on April 3 for the first time in the world, is in line with the latest report by CCS Insight.

Based on the belief, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu said in a recent note to employees that the Seoul-based company would go all-out to preempt the stiff competition in the 5G business.

“KT has been the top global leader in 5G commercialization, not to mention it successfully showcased the world’s first trial 5G services at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February last year,” Hwang said.

“We will become the number one operator of the next-generation intelligent platform, delivering the first and best 5G network services throughout South Korea.”

The 5G technology is up to 20 times faster than the existing LTE or 4G networks, which means that users can download an entire high-definition film in a fraction of a minute.

In recognition of the next-generation technology’s upside potential, the Korean government promised this week to support the completion of the nationwide 5G network by 2022.

Who has pioneered 5G deployment?

Korea launched the 5G services on April 3. Of note is that the United States claims that the country was ahead of Korea in starting the 5G services.

There are some disputes over who first embarked on the futuristic telecom services, but there are no disputes over who has pioneered the 5G deployment here, according to KT, formerly known as Korea Telecom.

“KT deployed the first phase of its commercial 5G network across South Korea in November 2018. The nationwide service primarily covers the country’s most populated areas, including the capital Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan area,” a KT official said.

“KT has also exclusively built its commercial 5G network to cover the country’s key transportation routes, including two major highways, six airports and the ground section of high-speed railways.”

The official said that KT plans to expand the coverage to subways and key sites such as public offices and university hospitals.

 

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