LG Uplus aims to complete 5G rollout to big cities in 2019

South Korea's LG Uplus has revealed it aims to complete the deployment of 5G infrastructure in major cities by the end of the year.

The operator plans to speed up the deployment of its 5G network and create various content and services for customers of the network, Yonhap News reported.

LG Uplus has already deployed around 5,500 5G base stations, compared to an estimated 3,000 combined for rivals SK Telecom and KT, the report states.

The three operators soft launched their respective commercial 5G networks in December as part of an agreement with the ICT ministry to launch simultaneously to avoid excessive competition.

LG Uplus has revealed plans to invest over 4 trillion won ($3.55 billion) on a nationwide 5G rollout. The operator has also been stepping up preparations for the launch of the first 5G-enabled smartphones, which are expected to be released by sister company LG Electronics as well as Samsung in March.