5G Subscribers Near 20 Million Mark Amid iPhone 13 Expectations

Wireless Communication Service Subscription Status in July
5G Subscribers Reach 17 Million
Average Monthly Net Increase of 700,000 This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As of July, the number of 5G mobile communication subscribers exceeded 17 million, raising expectations to surpass the 20 million mark. The net increase in subscribers compared to the previous month has averaged 700,000 this year. With the big event of Apple's iPhone 13 series announcement, expected around mid-September, demand for 5G services is also anticipated to steadily increase until the end of the year.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT's wireless communication service subscription statistics on the 2nd, as of the end of July, the number of domestic 5G subscribers was counted at 17,081,846. The proportion of 5G subscribers among the total mobile communication subscribers (71,718,898) is 23.8%.

By telecom company, 5G subscribers are SK Telecom with 8,002,223, KT with 5,207,103, and LG Uplus with 3,837,432. The number of 5G subscribers through MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) was 35,088, slightly decreasing compared to the previous month.

Despite controversies over 5G service quality, the number of subscribers has steadily increased this year. However, the growth rate is lower compared to early this year when new Samsung smartphone models were released. The net increase compared to the previous month was 790,000 in February → 810,000 in March → 670,000 in April → 690,000 in May → 620,000 in June → 620,000 in July. The average increase was about 700,000.

Based on this trend, the industry expects that surpassing 20 million 5G subscribers within the year is possible. Apple, which unveils new smartphone models every second half of the year, plans to release the iPhone 13 in September this year as usual, unlike last year. IT tipsters such as Jon Prosser are strongly predicting September 14 as the likely date. However, there is also a possibility of delay due to global semiconductor supply variables.

The total number of MVNO subscribers is 9,810,571, an increase of about 86,000 compared to the previous month (9,724,790). Since first entering the 9 million range in December last year, expectations to surpass 10 million have increased. It is interpreted that the number of subscribers using MVNO services after purchasing unlocked models is steadily increasing.