5G Services in Korea Only 4 Times Faster than LTE Services, a Government Survey Finds

A government survey has found that 5G services are just four times faster than LTE services.

A government survey has found that of Korea’s 5G mobile services are just four times faster than LTE services.

According to the evaluation carried out by the Ministry of Science and ICT on Aug. 5, the average speeds of 5G services were 656.56 Mbps for downloading and 64.16 Mbps for uploading. Compared with LTE services in 2019, 5G services were four times faster for downloading and 1.5 times faster for uploading. An LTE quality survey conducted in 2019 showed an average download speed of 158.53 Mbps and an average upload speed of 42.83 Mbps.

The ratio of 5G subscribers who are connected to LTE networks during the use of 5G services stood at 6.19 percent. Current 5G services are switched to LTE networks when 5G services are disconnected due to insufficient 5G infrastructure. The lower the LTE conversion rate is, the higher the 5G service stability is. Due to this switch to LTE networks, some 5G subscribers criticize 5G services in Korea as 5G services only in name.

However, this quality survey shows that LTE conversion ratio is relatively low, with only 6 out of 100 5G subscribers connected to LTE networks during their use of 5G services.

The survey has also found that current 5G services cover major downtown areas in large cities, including Seoul. The three mobile carriers’ coverage in Seoul averaged 425.53 square kilometers, indicating that most areas of the capital city except some woodlands are covered.

Although the government presented a generous report card for 5G services, some point out that there is a wide gap between consumers’ opinions and what the government said. In 2019, 280 dispute settlement applications were filed with the Communication Dispute Mediation Committee at the Korea Communication Commission (KCC), with 20 percent of them related to 5G service quality. In particular, consumers and civic groups suspect that mobile carriers exaggerated the quality of their services in advertisements by saying that 5G services are 20 times faster than LTE services.

Meanwhile, the Korean government and the mobile carriers are planning to speed up the construction of 5G infrastructure for completion of a nationwide 5G network by 2022.