SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier, ranked No 1 in terms of download speed of 5G networks globally, an industry report showed on Friday.

According to the global mobile industry tracker Opensignal, the average download speed using SK Telecom's 5G network was recorded at 469.6 megabits per second (Mbps), 2.55 times faster than the 184.2 Mbps average among global mobile carriers.

LG Uplus, the country's third-largest mobile carrier, ranked second, with 429.6 Mbps, followed by Bulgaria's Vivacom Inc., Tele2 AB of Sweden, and KT Corp. of South Korea.

In terms of 5G upload speed, SK Telecom was ranked seventh, and LG Uplus came in 16th place. SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus took the top three spots in terms of 5G gaming experience, the report showed.

South Korea, which has a population of 52 million, first commercialized 5G networks in April 2019 and has, so far, secured 5G coverage across its 85 cities.

The total number of 5G subscribers in South Korea reached nearly 24 million in May, according to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT.

South Korean telecom operators currently provide 5G services via NonStandalone 5G networks, which depend on previous 4G LTE networks, according to reports. (KB/IANS)