When 5G networks were first rolled out in South Korea in April 2019, telecom operators claimed that their ultrafast mobile speeds and low latency would usher in a new era for smartphone users and even power future technologies from autonomous vehicles to virtual reality (VR) content to cloud gaming. Fast forward to 2021, self-driving cars are still a way off and cloud games still work on previous 4G LTE networks.

The next-generation networks have instead faced user disappointment due to slower-than-expected speeds and patchy network connection, leading to underwhelming adoption, reports Yonhap news agency. Average download speeds on 5G were around four times faster than 4G LTE, according to a government report last year, compared with initial promises of being up to 20 times faster.