Korea''s leadership in 5G and beyond: Footprints and futures
Korean MNOs achieved the government-set target of installing 45,000 base stations in the 3.5 GHz band during the second year of commercialization and as of January 2022,
In the report, South Korea ranked first among 29 countries, including non-OECD members such as China and the European Union, in “5G base station deployment.” The country recorded 593 5G base stations per 100,000 inhabitants, significantly surpassing Lithuania (328) and Finland (251).
As of 2024, KT is the only telecom provider in South Korea to have established a nationwide 5G SA network. KT launched its SA 5G service in 2021, becoming the first South Korean operator to do so. SK and LG U+ are operating their communication networks based on 5G NSA (Non-Standalone).
Among South Korean mobile providers, both LG U+ and SK Telecom use a 5G non-standalone (NSA) network configuration, where voice is delivered via VoLTE (using the 4G network), while KT employs a 5G standalone (5G SA) network, where voice is carried over the 5G new radio (VoNR).
Earlier this year, the Korean regulator, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced that South Korea had attained nationwide 5G coverage. MSIT allocated wide bands to each of the three mobile operators, KT, SK Telecom and LG U+, with the former two receiving 100 MHz, and the latter initially receiving 80 MHz.
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