Fast but patchy: Trying South Korea's new 5G service

Reliability problems cloud benefit of quicker download speeds

20190406 testing 5G in Seoul

With 5G, the hope is that users will be able to download a two-hour movie in three seconds, down from five minutes now. (Photo by Kenichi Yamada)

KENICHI YAMADA and KIM JAEWON, Nikkei staff writers

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S10 5G on Friday became the world's first commercially available smartphone with inbuilt fifth-generation technology as South Korea switched on its 5G network, but there seemed to be little consumer enthusiasm for the experience in the capital city of Seoul.

At a branch of telecom giant SK Telecom, the clerk behind the counter said only one reporter had signed up for the Samsung phone.

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