5G Approaching 10 Million Milestone... iPhone 12 Has Arrived

[Asia Economy Reporter Seolgina Jo] The number of 5G subscribers in South Korea is on the verge of reaching 10 million. Following a surge triggered by the release of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note20 in the second half of this year, the recent launch of Apple's first 5G smartphone, the new iPhone12, has signaled a green light for achieving 10 million subscribers. However, reaching the initially expected 15 million subscribers still remains a distant goal.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 2nd, as of the end of September, the number of domestic 5G subscribers was 9,248,865, an increase of 590,643 compared to the previous month. After surpassing 8 million subscribers last month, the number exceeded 9 million within just one month. Although this increase is less than the 801,017 growth seen in August, which reflected the effect of the highly anticipated Galaxy Note20 series launch in the second half, it still exceeds the average level. Furthermore, with new smartphones such as the Galaxy S20 FE, LG Wing, and iPhone12 being released one after another starting in October, it is expected that reaching 10 million subscribers within the year will be achievable.

Looking at the telecom companies, as of the end of September, SK Telecom's 5G subscriber count exceeded 4 million, recording 4,263,168 subscribers, an increase of 282,164 from the previous month. KT increased by 180,161 to 2,811,911 subscribers, and LG Uplus grew by 127,601 to 2,170,160 subscribers. Market share remained at approximately 46%, 30%, and 24%, respectively.

From October, it is anticipated that the release of the iPhone12 will significantly boost the number of 5G subscribers. Due to the consumption contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many existing LTE subscribers who had postponed smartphone upgrades are expected to switch to 5G with the launch of the iPhone12. The three major carriers estimate that more than 100,000 units were activated on the launch day alone, September 30th. Pre-order sales are estimated to be between 400,000 and 500,000 units combined across the three carriers.

The three carriers are also accelerating efforts to achieve their 5G subscriber targets, leveraging the iPhone12 launch, which has a large loyal customer base. Earlier, SK Telecom and LG Uplus had downgraded their year-end 5G subscriber forecasts following the spread of COVID-19. KT's year-end 5G subscriber target, announced in the second quarter, is 3.5 million. To meet this goal, approximately 700,000 new subscribers must be secured in the remaining three months.

Although the 5G subscriber base is approaching the 10 million mark, controversies over quality and coverage persist. According to the Korea Communications Commission, the number of disputes related to 5G quality in the first half of this year was 82 cases, a significant increase compared to 5 cases in the second half of the previous year. Due to the frequency characteristics of 5G, existing equipment cannot be reused, and more than twice the amount of equipment compared to LTE is required, making large-scale investment essential.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.