Samsung Electronics will introduce its new flagship smartphone Galaxy S21 on Jan. 15, the company announced Monday. The first launch from the global smartphone giant this year, the Galaxy S21 series comprises a 6.2-inch S21, 6.7-inch S21 Plus and 6.8-inch S21 Ultra, which have been drawing expectations for their upgraded specs and designs. The models to be launched in North America are expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor, while those for Europe and South Korea will

South Korean mobile carriers are expected to report improved earnings for the final quarter of 2020 on the back of steady growth in 5G users, analysts said Monday. The combined operating profits of the country's three major telecom operators -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- are estimated at 670.9 billion won ($620.3 million) in the Oct.-Dec. period last year, compared with 497.9 billion won the previous year, according to a poll by Yonhap Infomax, the financial arm of Yonhap Ne

　South Korea has the fastest 5G download speed in the world, reaching over 350 megabits per second, a report showed. 　The country’s 5G download speed stood at an average 351.2 Mbps, followed by Saudi Arabia at 272.8 Mbps and Taiwan at 247.7 Mbps, industry tracker Opensignal said in a report, citing data collected between Sept. 1 and Nov. 29 in 15 global markets with 5G networks. 　The result marks an improvement for South Korea from a previous report by Opensignal in October, which ha

Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday confirmed that new models of its flagship smartphone lineup will be unveiled next week as the South Korean tech giant tries to fend off challenges from Apple Inc. and Chinese brands. Samsung's Galaxy S21 smartphone series will be introduced at the Galaxy Unpacked online event at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Jan. 14 under the theme of "Welcome to the Everyday Epic." "Over the past year, mobile technology has taken center stage in everyday lif

The number of fifth-generation network users in South Korea surpassed 10 million as of the end-November, according to data released Sunday by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The number of 5G subscribers in November reached 10.9 million, up 930,000 from the previous month. By companies, SK Telecom secured 5.05 million users, accounting for 46 percent of the market. KT and LG U+ followed with 3.33 million and 2.54 million users. The ICT Ministry explained the increase was largely due to the

Samsung Electronics has begun offering digital certificates via its biometric authentication program Samsung Pass, heating up the local market for online ID certification. The service, launched by Samsung Pass on Dec. 30, enables users of Samsung Galaxy models to obtain certificates on their mobile devices after updating the application. Samsung Pass users can use the digital certificates for the annual tax return process, which starts in January. Samsung Electronics is one of the five priva

COVID-19 results in more media usage through online platforms

Living in a crowded urban city, one can realize in the daily routine that the proportion of “going digital” has drastically increased over the year -- waking up to use smartphones for running bank errands, standing in front of digital kiosks for takeout orders during lunchtime and ordering groceries online after sunset. The unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us further to a society where non-face-to-face interactions are strongly recommended across different tasks to halt furt

South Korea racked up nearly 11 million users on fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks as of end-November, data showed Thursday.  The country had 10.9 million 5G users last month, accounting for 15.5 percent of the total 70.5 million mobile subscriptions, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT.  Subscriptions to the high-speed networks jumped by nearly 1 million from the previous month amid launches of new 5G phones, such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone 12 series, th

New Year’s events are no exception to social distancing rules against COVID-19. People in South Korea will have to “e-connect” for the upcoming New Year’s celebrations, as the government maintains strict antivirus measures that include a ban on large gatherings. The annual bell-ringing ceremony on New Year‘s eve at the Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno in central Seoul will go virtual, as the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially canceled the in-person event for t

The country’s largest conglomerate Samsung has been left unsure of what its future holds as its de facto chief faces possible jail time for corruption. Whether or not Lee Jae-yong will be put behind bars again in the finale of a three-year court saga, leaving a void at the top of the world’s No. 1 chipmaker, will be decided by a Seoul court in January. Samsung Electronics on Wednesday appeared calm, at least on the surface, after local prosecutors demanded nine years in prison fo

South Korea‘s 5G quality and coverage have slightly improved in the second half of the year, said the Ministry of Science and ICT on Wednesday. The overall quality of Long-Term Evolution networks here, however, have degraded, it said in a report. SK Telecom’s 5G network showed the fastest average download speed at 795.57 megabits per second. KT followed at 667.48 Mbps, with LG U+ at 608.49 Mbps. SKT is the country‘s largest mobile carrier in terms of subscribers, followed by

South Korea's 5G download speed and overall quality improved in the second half of the year from the first half as the country races to deploy nationwide coverage of the latest generation network, a report showed Wednesday. The average download speed on the high-speed network from the country's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- stood at 690.47 megabits per second (Mbps) in the second half of the year, up 33.91 Mbps from the first half, according to da

The South Korean government announced Tuesday it has decided to postpone the launch of its first home-built space launch vehicle Nuri by eight months due to complications in the assembly process. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the launch of the three-stage rocket with a mock payload will take place in October next year, during an online press conference held Tuesday. The launch with an actual satellite will also be postponed to May 2022 accordingly. The ICT Ministry explained the delay

Huawei announced Tuesday the company’s 5G and LTE equipment have passed global wireless standards body 3GPP’s testing, highlighting the security of its network. Performed by European certification organization DERKA, Huawei’s 5G RAN gNodeB and LTE eNodeB passed 3GPP’s security assurance specifications testing, known as SCAS, the Chinese company said. The tests included network product general security, air interface security, and basic vulnerability testing, such as da