Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- South Korea's three top mobile carriers accepted an irresistible government request to put aside their rivalry for the joint commercialization of fifth-generation (5G) services in March next year for the first time in the world.

South Korean firms are trying hard to commercialize a 5G mobile network ahead of China and any other countries. The 5G network is considered a vital part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as it can transmit a large capacity of data fast.

After a strategic session Tuesday with CEOs of SKT, KT and LG U+, Science and ICT Minister You Young-min said the three firms agreed to put 5G mobile services into commercial operation simultaneously in March next year. They will start building a 5G commercial network from September after selecting equipment makers next month.

"With the commercialization of 5G, the basis of an ICT ecosystem and the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be created as related industries such as services, equipment, terminals and contents will develop together and economic effects will spread to other fields," Yoo said.

The 5G network, which is at least ten times faster than the current 4G network, can transmit a large capacity of data fast for autonomous driving, the downloading of ultra-high quality video files and industries related to artificial intelligence (AI).

In June, the three firms secured ideal frequencies for their 5G service. In preparation for the telecom renaissance, mobile carriers have used different kinds of 5G bandwidths to utilize their mobile network technology in many fields especially in autonomous driving.