Korean carriers deploy thousands of 5G sites ahead of commercial launch

KT Corp said it has already installed 15,000 base stations while rival carrier LG Uplus deployed 18,000 5G base stations Korean carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are rapidly deploying 5G base stations ahead of the planned commercial launch of this technology, which is scheduled for the first days of April, the Korea Times reports. KT recently confirmed it has already deployed 15,000 5G base stations in Seoul and will install a total of 30,000 5G base stations across the country by April 5. The carrier said that its 5G commercial offering will be available in 85 major cities nationwide by the end of 2019. “We will be able to have up to 80% nationwide coverage with 5G by the end of the year,” Seo Chang-seok, head of KT’s network strategy unit, reportedly said. Meanwhile,  LG Uplus said it has already deployed a total of 18,000 5G base stations in Seoul and surrounding areas as well as some metropolitan cities.
The carrier announced plans to install 50,000 base stations within the first half of the year. “Beginning with Seoul, surrounding areas and some metropolitan cities, we will build additional base stations in major cities and expand the coverage to 85 towns and counties to keep our competitiveness in 5G networks,” the newspaper quoted an official from LG Uplus as saying.