LG Uplus has deployed South Korea’s first 5G mmWave network using a 5G smartphone from LG Electronics at the Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT) in South Korea.

The 5G mmWave network will enable innovative services for KIT employees, professors and students, showcasing the technology’s ability to power a Smart Campus model. Chipset maker Qualcomm said the commercialization of 5G mmWave in South Korea is expected to ramp in 2021.

These Smart Campus services will be accessible through the LG Uplus 28 GHz 5G mmWave network on a smartphone by LG Electronics, which is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform with the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System.

The deployment of 5G mmWave will allow leading operators such as LG Uplus to take advantage of vast spectrum resources in high spectrum bands, enabling them to more deliver the world’s fastest multi-gigabit cellular speeds, low latency connectivity and cost-effective network capacity.

In addition, the deployment of 5G mmWave technology enables smart campuses, indoor enterprises, indoor/outdoor venues, transportation hubs, fixed wireless access devices, and the industrial Internet of Things.

“We are proud of this significant 5G milestone achieved with LG Uplus and LG, which is instrumental in unlocking the full potential of 5G and its ability to deliver exciting new experiences for consumers, businesses, and the government in South Korea,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies.

“Through this collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and LG, we were able to see the potential of 5G mmWave and we will continue the collaboration to overcome challenges to realize the full benefits of 5G,” Weonseok Cho, senior vice president, B2B new business group, LG Uplus, said.

South Korea is yet to commercialize mmWave 5G, which uses the 28-gigahertz (GHz) band and unlocks speeds that can theoretically be up to 20 times faster than 4G LTE.

Local carriers currently use the 3.5-GHz band for 5G services, leading to speeds that are around three to four times faster than the previous generation network.

Other wireless carriers are also preparing to test mmWave 5G.

SK Telecom is planning to use the network for a preventative system against COVID-19 at Incheon International Airport.

KT Corp plans to introduce mmWave 5G at public athletic facilities in Suwon, south of Seoul.

LG Uplus has the fastest 5G download speed among South Korean mobile carriers.

The mobile carrier’s median 5G download speed in Seoul stood at 476.5 megabits per second (Mbps), followed by the country’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom at 436.2 Mbps and telecom giant KT Corp. at 425.8 Mbps, according to a report by market researcher RootMetrics.

RootMetrics said LG Uplus had greater accessibility to 5G in the capital at 90.9 percent, compared with KT at 78.8 percent and SK Telecom at 71.3 percent during its testing from Sept. 15 to Oct. 12.