South Korea's IT ministry and local telcos have agreed to launch 5G services at the same time to avoid unnecessary competition that would exacerbate marketing costs. The Ministry of Science and ICT has also announced that it will provide "unlimted" tax benefits and security maintenance services to SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus. South Korea is planning to commercialise the next-generation network next year in March, with trials beginning December this year. The move is seen as a way to avoid the costly marketing campaign that plagued the launch of 4G LTE in 2011. Each telco had argued that they were the world's first, which resulted in high marketing costs and sometimes negative ads against competitors. Telcos also poured huge sums into subsidies to lure customers away from rivals. The new-found comradery among the telcos also stems from the rise of Chinese telcos; neighbouring China is aiming to become the first country to roll out 5G. When 5G will officially roll out in March has yet to be announced. The ministry also addressed the recent Huawei controversy, saying it didn't discriminate between network equipment vendors and that telcos are free to choose their supplier. Earlier this month, Samsung Electronics unveiled its 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum equipment and stressed that they were reliable and secure, a subtle jab at rival Huawei. South Korea completed its 5G spectrum auction and allocation last month. Samsung stresses 5G equipment trust with telcos over Huawei Samsung Electronics has unveiled 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum 5G equipment and said it will secure 20 percent market share by 2020. South Korea to fund 10Gb internet push The South Korean government will pick two consortia for projects that will help fast-track the commercialisation of 10-gigabit (Gb) internet. Telstra makes 5G phone call across commercial network with Ericsson and Intel Telstra has made a 5G data call in a 'real-world mobile network environment' using 3.5GHz spectrum, Intel's 5G mobile trial platform, and Ericsson's commercial 5G NR equipment. South Korea's IoT in full swing: From water meters to AI-powered smart buildings In South Korea's small towns and big cities, the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing everything from utilities to subways to buildings as more municipalities and companies capitalise on new computing and network technologies. Samsung launches NB-IoT GPS smart tag Samsung Electronics' Connect Tag is the first of its kind to use the narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) network and can be used to track pets, children, and personal items. 5G mobile networks: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic) As LTE networks become increasingly saturated, mobile network operators are planning for the 5G future. Here is what business professionals and mobile users need to know about 5G.
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT has reached agreement with local telecoms companies to launch 5G services simultaneously Earlier this month, thereby avoiding unnecessary competition. The ministry will also provide tax benefits and security maintenance services to SK Telecoms, KT and LG Uplus. The agreement will see the companies avoid expensive marketing campaigns like those during the launch of 4G, when each firm claimed to be the world's first provider.