S. Korea's 5G network faster by 33.91 Mbps in H2

The 5G download speed posted by South Korea's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus Corp. -- stood at 690.47 megabits per second (Mbps) in the second half of the year, up 33.91 Mbps.

According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT, SK Telecom had the fastest average download speed at 795.57 Mbps, followed by KT at 667.48 Mbps and LG Uplus at 608.49 Mbps.

The country's average 4G LTE download speed reached 153.1 Mbps, more than four times slower than the average 5G speed.

The ministry publishes data on mobile network quality biannually to encourage network investment by mobile carriers.

The network's issues on quality, such as limited coverage and slower-than-expected speeds, prompted over half a million 5G users to switch to 4G LTE through August this year.

The latest report found that the network's quality and accessibility improved compared to the first half of the year.

Public facilities, such as hospitals, malls, and theaters that have 5G coverage by the three carriers, reached 3,486 on average across 85 cities.

The three carriers have promised to collectively spend up to 25.7 trillion won to achieve South Korea's target nationwide 5G coverage by 2022.