South Korea to hold 5G auction June 15
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The South Korean government has announced plans to hold an auction for 3.5-GHz and 28-GHz 5G spectrum on June 15.
The government has also decided to go with its first proposed option of distributing the spectrum evenly among the nation’s three operators – SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ – rather than allocating the largest portion of spectrum to the highest bidder.
Likewise, the government plans to limit bid amounts to stop the auction from being overly competitive and burdening the winners with high spectrum costs.
With the move, the ICT ministry hopes to set the stage for the commercialization of 5G technology in South Korea.
South Korean operators are expected to be among the earliest adopters of 5G technology. Currently KT has announced plans to launch commercial 5G services in March, and is expected to be the first South Korean operator to go live with the technology. But both KT and LG U+ have significant 5G rollout plans of their own. The operators already trialed 5G during the recent PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Questions & Answers
Q.When is the 5G spectrum auction scheduled to take place?
When is the 5G spectrum auction scheduled to take place?
The South Korean government plans to hold the auction for 3.5-GHz and 28-GHz 5G spectrum on June 15. This date marks the official start of the process for distributing the new mobile technology bandwidth.
Q.How will the 5G spectrum be divided among the operators?
How will the 5G spectrum be divided among the operators?
The government has chosen to distribute the spectrum evenly among the three national operators: SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+. They will not be allocating the largest portion to the highest bidder in this auction.
Q.Which operator is expected to launch 5G services first in South Korea?
Which operator is expected to launch 5G services first in South Korea?
KT has announced plans to launch commercial 5G services in March, making it the first South Korean operator expected to go live with the technology. Other operators also have significant rollout plans.
Q.Why has the government decided to limit bid amounts in the auction?
Why has the government decided to limit bid amounts in the auction?
The government intends to limit bid amounts to prevent the auction from becoming overly competitive. This measure aims to avoid burdening the winning operators with excessively high spectrum costs.