Korean provider KT achieves 1Gbit/s in 5G test on commercial 3.5GHz band

Samsung and KT achieved a speed of 1Gbit/s during a 5G test in Seoul, South Korea. That has been done with the commercial 5G network present in the South Korean capital. 5G services have been offered there since December 1.

The achieved speed of 1Gbit/s is not earth-shattering in itself and was also achieved by SK Telecom a year and a half ago, but the latter was an experiment in an R&D facility. In the current test by Samsung and KT, the speed has been achieved with KT’s commercial network. According to the companies, this is “proof that commercial 5G networks are ready to deliver stable gigabit speeds.”

KT and Samsung are working together to build the 5G network, which has been operational since last December. Actual 5G end-user service is expected to be available at KT this spring. By the end of this month, the 5G network should be available in 85 cities in South Korea, including the Seoul metropolitan area. Some highways and high-speed train lines will also receive 5G coverage.

KT works in his network in any case together with Samsung and Ericsson. The largest provider in the country, SK Telecom, has emphatically excluded China’s Huawei and has opted for Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung for its 5G network. Only LG Uplus has announced that it will consciously choose Huawei as the supplier of the necessary network equipment for 5g.