South Korea delays commercial 5G service over phone and carrier issues

South Korea’s government rushed the country’s top cellular carriers to launch “commercial” 5G networks last year, but as of now 5G phones and services still aren’t available to consumers, the Korea Herald reports today. Consequently, the government expects carriers to miss a March deadline for bringing actual 5G service to customers, instead starting in April — assuming the devices and service plans are ready.If you’ve been following South Korea’s efforts to become one of the world’s first countries with 5G, today’s developments may or may not come as a surprise. Following Verizon’s launch of the world’s first consumer 5G service on October 1, South Korea’s government rallied carriers SK Telecom, LG Uplus, and KT to open their 5G networks with a nationally broadcast event on December 1. But there were no actual 5G devices for Korean customers to purchase, making the supposedly “commercial” launch more theoretical than practical.