A local consortium was selected as the new operator of the 28 gigahertz (GHz) band of the fifth-generation network (5G) in South Korea, the science ministry said, becoming the country's fourth mobile carrier.
Stage X, a consortium of Stage Five, a communications affiliate of tech giant Kakao, and other unidentified companies, will be the fourth operator of the 5G network.
Currently, three major mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — are the country's sole operators of the network.
Stage X won the 28 GHz band on the fifth day of the auction against Sejong Telecom and Mobile Consortium, writing in the highest bid of 430.1 billion won ($322.1 million), according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.
In the previous auction in 2018, the country's three major mobile carriers won the same spectrum in the low 200 billion-won range.
However, these three operators lost the license for the new 28 GHz spectrum last year due to insufficient investment.
As a response, the government has taken steps to introduce a new operator to foster competition in an industry traditionally dominated by the three major carriers.
Stage X will be required to build 6,000 base stations nationwide within the first three years and implement measures to address frequency congestion and interference.
"We will work to become a new brand in the communications market and facilitate fresh and innovative changes in the market by boosting the 5G network service," Stage X CEO Seo Sang-won said.
Stage X said it plans to distribute cellphones that support the 5G 28 GHz spectrum through cooperation with Samsung Electronics, as well as global players like Apple and Google.
Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2024/01/129_368005.html