If you've been hoping for cheap, unlimited data on new 5G networks, well ... hope is a good thing to have. But if South Korea is any indication, savings will be in short supply.
Three carriers in South Korea, which are running at about the same pace as US carriers, are rolling out 5G now. The leader, SKT, will sell 8GB for $48.46/month; 150GB for $66.08; 200GB for $83.70; and 300GB for $110.13. SKT's prices are slightly less than it charges for the same amount of data on its 4G network, the carrier said.
Prices are pretty similar on second-place KT and third-place LG Uplus, although there are some time-limited discounts out there. LG Uplus, for instance, is offering 250GB for $58.15 until June.
All three carriers' plans will go on sale April 5 for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G smartphone, which is coming to the US a little later this spring.
Whether these prices are good or bad depends on whether you're a consumer or a market analyst. In a Mobile World Live report, an analyst from CCS Insight sounded a little disappointed that the carriers couldn't charge more for a faster service than 4G. But of course we're all tired of what we perceive to be high wireless service prices in the US, especially compared to Europe, and as consumers we're hoping for relief with 5G.
SK Telecom says it's ready to go with 34,000 5G-capable base stations in "traffic concentrated areas" of 85 cities, including university campuses, train stations, and sports stadiums. The carrier says it can combine 4G and 5G for download speeds up to 2.7Gbps.
Korean 5G users will get VR and AR versions of League of Legends e-sports tournaments (a big deal in the region), as well as 4K streamable K-dramas and VR versions of K-pop hits. It's all very Korean, but it gives you an idea of the content carriers will try to use to drive people to 5G. Here in the US, Sprint has made a deal with game-streaming service Hatch for high-quality games on its LG V50 5G phones.
US carriers, for now, are about on par with the Korean plans. Verizon is promising unlimited 5G data for $10 more than its existing unlimited plans, at $85-$105/month. AT&T is offering 15GB of data on its 5G Netgear hotspot for $70/month. T-Mobile has said its 5G plans will not be more expensive than existing 4G plans, but not that they'll be cheaper. Sprint hasn't said anything about service plans.
We're tracking all of the US carriers' 5G leaps forward with our Race to 5G feature. April is going to see competition heating up, with Verizon pledging to launch its first consumer 5G phone this month (the Moto Z3) with service in Chicago and Minneapolis, and AT&T making moves towards wider availability of its Netgear Nighhawk 5G hotspot.
Topics5G
(责任编辑：百科)
Cat gets stuck in the most awkward position everApple finally sells iMac Pro's Space Gray keyboard and mice separatelyMicrosoft's new TOS prohibits 'offensive language' on SkypeA brilliant artist reimagined characters from 'The Office' as cartoonsEarly ApplePlane makes emergency landing after engine rips apart during flight
A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing Saturday morning d
...[详细]Salma Hayek is firmly against Barbie's Frida Kahlo doll
Salma Hayek is not here for Barbie's Frida Kahlo doll. 。For International Women's Day this year, Barb
...[详细]She lost her cat five years ago. Then, they were reunited by chance.
There's nothing more heartbreaking than a missing pet—but there's also nothing more heartwarmi
...[详细]Quick! Snatch up a Nintendo Switch for 20% off before it's too late!
When the Nintendo Switch first came out, it was in such high demand that you basically had to promis
...[详细]Twitter grants everyone access to quality filter for tweet notifications
Twitter introduced two features Thursday in an effort to give users more control on what notificatio
...[详细]Scientists expose coral reefs to acidic water and see impaired growth
An experiment carried out at One Tree Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef offers a stark warnin
...[详细]Cryptocurrency businesses aren't afraid of Google and Facebook ad bans
In the past month, two major online advertising platforms -- Google AdWords and Facebook -- have ann
...[详细]Google praises employee 'acts of heroism' after shooting at YouTube
Minutes after a woman opened fire on YouTube's San Bruno, California campus, employees returned to t
...[详细]When Honda revealed its stunning and grandparent-scaring Civic Hatchback Prototype earlier this year
...[详细]'Black Panther' sinks 'Titanic' with another broken box office record
Mark your calendars, box office nerds: Saturday, April 7 is the day
。 Black Panther 。became the third-
...[详细]The five guys who climbed Australia's highest mountain, in swimwear
John Boyega teases joining Marvel Cinematic Universe, but what role?