Samsung announced that it will be launching the Galaxy S10 5G on April 5, to become the first manufacturer to launch a 5G-capable smartphone. There will be no pre-orders, however. Instead, between April 5-16, Samsung will offer either a pair of Galaxy Buds, a wireless charger, or 50 percent discount for replacement of the screen.
One of the main reasons why South Korea has delayed the commercial roll-out of commercial 5G services was that neither carriers, with service prices, nor smartphone manufacturers, with their respective approvals, were ready for a March launch. The report hinted at the beginning of the month that the roll-out will likely happen in April, giving Samsung and LG the chance to prepare their Galaxy S10 5G and V50 ThinQ 5G models for prime-time.
A more recent report from the country reveals that the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G has received all of its approvals on Monday, from the National Radio Research Agency. The certified smartphone has the model number SM-G977N and passed the agency’s signal verification test. With the approval granted, it is expected that the Korean 5G service roll-out would pick up some speed.
It is true that we have been under pressure to meet the government’s timeline. Of course, it would have been much better if we had more time to offer a more robust service — said an official from local telecom companies, cited by the Korea Herald
The race is on between Korea and the U.S. to flip the switch on the first 5G network, despite lack of content. “Instead of sticking to the title of the world’s first 5G-poweered country, the government should focus on developing content that can boost companies’ productivity and people’s livelihood“, said an unnamed Korean source.