South Korea, once a global leader in 5G technology, has fallen behind as countries like Bahrain and Japan rapidly expand their standalone 5G networks, raising concerns about the nation’s lagging investment in next-generation infrastructure.
Last year, S. Korea lost its title as the world leader in 5G download and upload speeds to Bahrain. According to market research firm Opensignal, South Korea’s 5G speeds reached 925.6Mbps, while Bahrain surged ahead with speeds of 1163.4Mbps. Bahrain has been actively expanding its 5G standalone (SA) network, which processes data purely within the 5G infrastructure.
In S. Korea, however, most 5G networks still rely on a mix of 5G and LTE, called 5G non-standalone (NSA) mode. Unlike NSA, the SA network uses only 5G, reducing latency and providing faster download and upload speeds. This SA infrastructure is also crucial for the future development of 6G technology.
While major global telecom companies in countries like the U.S., Japan, and Germany are aggressively building their 5G SA networks, S. Korea has been slow to follow, despite being the first country to commercialize 5G. Currently, only KT has established a nationwide 5G SA network, while SK Telecom and LG Uplus have yet to do so. Some critics say that the three major telecom providers are falling behind, especially after returning their licenses for the 28GHz frequency band, which is essential for ultra-fast 5G.
In Germany, Deutsche Telekom is aiming to launch its 5G SA service by the end of the year, offering over 100 types of cloud gaming services. The 5G-only setup ensures optimized low latency for smoother gameplay.
Japan’s NTT Docomo also announced in July that it had achieved the fastest 5G SA download speed of 6.6Gbps, surpassing the previous maximum of 1.5Gbps. NTT Docomo has already rolled out this service in Tokyo and Kanagawa and plans to expand further.
In the U.S., T-Mobile achieved a 5G SA download speed of 420MB per second earlier this year and has completed the nationwide rollout of its 5G SA network. T-Mobile has been gradually expanding its coverage in densely populated areas like New York, Washington, and Ohio through partnerships with Ericsson and Nokia since last year.
In the Middle East, telecom company e& began building its 5G SA network in July using Ericsson’s solutions. This network will not only support fast communications for industrial IoT devices but also improve battery efficiency. The company plans to expand its SA network across the entire region.
In S. Korea, only KT has built a nationwide 5G SA network as of 2021. Although SK Telecom and LG Uplus announced similar plans in 2020, they have yet to show results. These companies claim that by utilizing their high-quality LTE networks, they can still deliver reliable service, but industry experts are concerned. The technologies being developed for 5G SA, such as network slicing (which allocates network resources efficiently) and ultra-low latency (as low as 0.1 milliseconds), will be vital for 6G.
Despite the growing importance of 5G SA, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT recently announced its “Spectrum Plan,” which outlines how the country plans to use its 5G frequencies. However, the plan did not include any mention of 5G SA development.
