Korea's three major telecom operators have focused on building 5G sub-6GHz (3.5GHz) base stations and have gradually abandoned using the 5G 28GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum. As a result, Korea's ranking in the proportion of mmWave frequency bands to the global 5G base stations will unlikely catch up with neighboring Japan.
As it takes about 1.5 years on average for Korea to increase its 5G users by 10 million, the cumulative number of its 5G users will exceed 40 million by the end of 2024, officially surpassing the number of 4G users, which is gradually decreasing.
Among Korea's top three telecom operators, SK Telecom (SKT) is the leader in total mobile communication users and 5G users. While Korea Telecom (KT) has maintained a stable market share of around 30% in the 5G segment since its launch of 5G services in 2019, SKT has seen its share continue rising and approaching 50%, eroding the market share of LG U+.
Chart 3: South Korean major telecom operators wireless business reveneus, 2019-1Q23 (KRWt)
Chart 4: South Korean major telecom operators wireless business ARPU, 2019-1Q23 (KRWk)
Chart 6: South Korean major telecom operators capex, 2019-1Q23 (KRWt)
Chart 7: Share of Sub-6GHz base stations in key nations, 2020, 2022
Chart 8: Share of mmWave base stations in key nations, 2020, 2022
