SK Telecom launched the world’s first 5G roaming service in partnership with Swisscom., the largest telecommunications provider in Switzerland.
SK Telecom launched its “baro” roaming service on December 17, 2018. As of June 2019, baro has attracted 2.2 million users and 38 million cumulative calls (total of 800,000 hours of voice calls).
Swisscom, which boasts over 6 million mobile subscriptions, started to roll out its 5G network on April 17.
SK Telecom’s customers using Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be able to use 5G roaming service through Swisscom when visiting Switzerland after upgrading their devices with the latest software update. In the future, SK Telecom plans to provide software upgrades to LG V50 users and further expand 5G roaming service to other countries around the globe.
“SK Telecom once again proved its leadership in advanced roaming technology with the launch of world’s first 5G roaming service” said Han Myung-jin, Vice President and Head of MNO Business Supporting Group of SK Telecom. “We will continuously expand our 5G roaming service to enhance customer experience and benefits.”
SK Telecom’s 5G network is live with 34,000 base stations deployed
SK Telecom has activated a total of 34,000 5G base stations across Korea.
In a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, SK Telecom marked “the beginning of the age of Hyper-Innovation with 5G”.
The company’s 5G network initially targets the nation’s most data traffic-concentrated areas, including main areas of 85 cities nationwide (Seoul, six metropolitan cities, etc.), university districts, KTX, sports stadiums, expressways, subway lines (Seoul and Seoul Metropolitan Area) and beaches. SK Telecom is also expanding in-building coverage centered around 120 department stores, shopping malls and airports. In the second half of 2019, SK Telecom will expand 5G network coverage to subway systems nationwide, national parks and festival sites.
SK Telecom’s 5G network supports downlinks up to 2.7 Gbps.
New 5GX price plans go into effect on April 5, 2019. Four plans are offered.
- Slim offers 8GB of data (1Mbps speed after data cap) at KRW 55,000 month
- 5GX Standard comes with 150GB of data (5Mbps after data cap) at KRW 75,000 per month.
- 5GX Prime comes with 200GB of data at KRW 95,000 per month
- 5GX Platinum comes with 300 GB of data at KRW 125,000 per month
