South Korean mobile operators have reportedly all agreed to launch 5G services on the same day in order to avoid excessive competition.
SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus will all launch services on “Korea 5G Day”, which they expect to hold some time around March next year, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
The arrangement was fostered by the nation’s Ministry of Science and ICT during a meeting on Tuesday, according to the report.
Minister You Young-min asked the operators to co-operate closely to ensure that Korea is the world’s first country to commercialize 5G, and to avoid excessive competition.
At the meeting, representatives of the operators urged the government to introduce measures to help operators cope with the major investments required to deploy 5G networks and support the introduction of future technologies such as automated vehicles.
Other suggestions included tax benefits for 5G investments, the report states.
At the meeting, You told the operators that the government plans to maintain its policy of lowering household telecoms bills even during the 5G era. The report also cites him as stating that the operators will work with local SMEs such as network equipment developers to develop 5G related business opportunities in the market.