The first day of October in 2022 marked the launch of 5G coverage in India, the largest democracy. Almost three and a half years before, in April 2019, South Korea was the first country to adopt 5G nationwide. From developing countries to the highly developed, this disruptive technology is regularly compared to the likes of blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Benefits like low latency and improved bandwidth drew many firms to rapidly invest in R&D for the development of 5G, especially with added support from their governments. As a result, the consequences or the implementation of the move were greatly overlooked by many. Let us now divulge into how these years with 5G coverage have fared for South Korea, the United States, and China.
Let us compare the performance of these three countries in their 5G coverage.
Through a meaningful comparison, we can notice the differing approaches and their differing results.
5G Coverage in South Korea
Starting with the leader in commercializing 5G throughout their country, South Korea boasts one of the most advanced and well-connected networks in the world. Like all coverages around the world, access was initially limited to a few customers back in 2018. But a couple of months later, after partnering with the mobile giant Samsung, they launched it for general consumers.
Today, the country has some of the fastest network speeds, although there were some legal issues with a couple of operators charged for misleading the public by making exaggerated claims. Nonetheless, citizens are able to enjoy coverage from urban to rural areas (in a relatively small country) with extremely low latency of approximately 10 milliseconds.
As a result, economic growth and innovation has spurred, leading to next-level technological developments. Overall, the country is often referred to as the benchmark for other countries looking to deploy the same.
5G Coverage in the United States
The United States is by-and-large one of the leaders of the market. Although the rollout on a national scale only happened in 2020, it was quick to be deployed in multiple major cities (the most covered by any country). Each service provider had their own deployment strategy and timeline, with different spectrum bands leading to varying speeds throughout the country.
There was a rapid progression in adoption in 2022. In 2023, in a survey regarding the availability of 5G, the US ranked fourth worldwide. However, there is not enough reach to many locations in the US (due to its large size).
Apart from that, there have been many hurdles with local regulatory bodies (since most states have self-governing laws in many matters) and high infrastructure deployment and maintenance costs that restrict 5G coverage for all US citizens.
Despite these challenges, it is still able to compete on a global level and maintain its competitiveness by solidifying its place as a key player.
5G Coverage in China
China is called the sleeping dragon because when it wakes, the world will too. This century is supposed to be one reflective of China’s dominance, and it is visible in the government’s support for the same.
By launching 5G coverage in 2019, initial deployment focused on covering major cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Through 2020 and 2021, while battling COVID-19, it managed to set up stations and provide access to many new cities. Compared to the US, it is easier as major cities are more grouped to the eastern side of China.
The government has been extremely supportive in this development. However, as with all technological advancements related to China, many global players have voiced concerns of cybersecurity and data privacy issues.
Overall, the red giant has witnessed major benefits to its economy by ensuring equitable access while generating jobs. It has taken an aggressive stance and currently looks to become the leader worldwide.
Conclusion
There have been multiple countries around the world that have either harnessed the power of 5G or are in the process of doing so. South Korea, the US, and China are leaders in this field, but we can see many other nations like India, Vietnam, and UAE that are catching up. As a result, global adoption and worldwide 5G coverage is expected to take place in the next couple of years.
