South Korea has nearly 13 million 5G users as of January

Korean media cited data from the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea showing that South Korea had 12.87 million 5G users by the end of January 2021, with a net increase of nearly 1 million users at the beginning of 2021. The report pointed out that the sharp increase in 5G users in the first month of this year was mainly due to the popularity of Samsung Electronics' latest flagship Galaxy S21 smartphone.

According to the report, South Korean telecom companies expect 5G adoption to grow significantly this year, with top wireless operator SK Telecom aiming to have 9 million 5G subscribers by the end of the year, while smaller rival LG Uplus is targeting 4 million. SK Telecom added a total of 1.21 million 5G subscribers in the last quarter of 2020. According to previous reports, SK Telecom added 3.4 million 5G subscribers in 202.

South Korean telecom operators currently provide 5G services through non-standalone 5G networks that rely on previous 4G LTE networks. The country's three major operators launched 5G commercial services in April 2019, and 5G networks are mostly available in large cities.

Local mobile operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are currently preparing to commercialize new technologies such as standalone 5G networks and millimeter wave 5G.

In July 2020, South Korean mobile operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus agreed to invest a total of 25.7 trillion won (US$22 billion) by 2022 to promote the construction of 5G infrastructure across the country.

The investment is mainly focused on improving the quality of 5G networks in Seoul and six other large cities. The investment plan also stipulates the deployment of 5G in 2,000 multi-purpose facilities on Seoul Subway Lines 2 and 9 and major highways. By 2021, the operator promises to expand 5G connectivity to an additional 85 areas, including 4,000 multi-purpose facilities, subways and all train stations, and an additional 20 highways.