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South Korea’s antitrust regulator, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has fined three domestic mobile carriers a total of 33.6 billion won (.06 million) for falsely advertising their 5G network speeds and claiming to be the fastest compared to their competitors.

The three companies fined are SK Telecom, KT Corp, and LG Uplus. The KFTC found that these companies had advertised that consumers could achieve certain 5G network speeds that were not realistically achievable in real-life situations. They also advertised that their 5G network speeds were faster than their competitors, without providing any evidence to support these claims.

The regulator presented these misleading advertisements to a local court in support of ongoing civil lawsuits filed by consumers. As a result, SK Telecom was fined 16.8 billion won, KT Corp was fined 13.9 billion won, and LG Uplus was fined 2.8 billion won.

In June, South Korea had a total of 30.76 million 5G network users, accounting for about 38% of the country’s total 80.23 million mobile subscriptions. This shows the significant impact of 5G technology in the country.

While SK Telecom and KT Corp declined to comment on the fines, LG Uplus is currently reviewing the sanctions imposed by the KFTC.

This action taken by the antitrust regulator highlights the importance of truthful advertising practices and holds mobile carriers accountable for their claims. It also serves as a reminder to consumers to be cautious when evaluating the advertised speeds and features of 5G networks.

The post South Korean Mobile Carriers Fined for Exaggerating 5G Network Speeds appeared first on ISP Today.