S. Korea's 5G users reach over 13 mln in Feb.: data

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- The number of 5G users in South Korea hit more than 13 million last month, data showed Wednesday, on the back of releases of new phones running on the latest generation networks.

The country's total 5G subscriptions stood at 13.66 million in February, up 792,118 from the previous month, according to the data from the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. had the largest number of 5G users at 6.35 million, followed by KT Corp. at 4.16 million and LG Uplus Corp. at 3.15 million.

The latest data comes after the launch of Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest flagship Galaxy S21 smartphones in January.

The 5G-supporting devices have been popular in the local market, surpassing 1 million units in domestic sales last week.

Mobile carriers aim for faster adoption of 5G services this year and have released more affordable data plans to lure users on past-generation networks.

South Korea's 5G networks, however, have met criticism over poor connectivity and slower-than-expected speeds since its commercial launch in April 2019.

Earlier this month, a group of 5G smartphone users banded together to take legal action against the country's three major telecom operators over poor network quality and seek at least 1 million won (US$880) in compensation per user.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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