It seems that 5G network is flourishing for South Korea as the government announces a whopping 1 million subscribers within a period of 69 days. This is a particular milestone because it was achieved faster than the previous 1M 4G subscribers under a period of 80 days.
The accomplishment was confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology. According to the Ministry, the number of 5G subscribers had already exceeded 1,000,000 starting June 10. What makes it impressive is that 5G services were only launched on the month of April 2019.
There is an average of about 17,000 customers each day despite the limited stock for 5G internet services. This created suspicions that 5G services may have been illegally subsidized to reach such a large demand in so short a time. Still, Yonhap believes that subcribers will continue to rise to possibly 4 to 5 million by the end of 2019.
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As of the moment, SK Telecom (SKT) has a grip on 40% of all 5G subscriptions. On the other hand, Korean Telecom (KT) and LG Uplus each holds 30%.
There are still shortcomings in terms of speed and availability, but with aggressive promotions involving smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G), consumers are sure to get on board the 5G experience soon.
In the Philippines, both PLDT-Smart and Globe Telecom are already in the testing phase of rolling-out 5G. Previous statements from the companies point to a 2020 launch, however, there’s still no clear release date set as of the moment.
Via: Yonhap