In the results of the "2025 telecommunications service coverage and quality assessment" released by the Ministry of Science and ICT, KT ranked first in nationwide 5G download speed for the first time since the survey began. By contrast, in the "required speed satisfaction rate," which shows the stability of 5G service, SK Telecom posted the highest figure.
Nationwide 5G download speeds were found to be KT 1030.25Mbps, SK Telecom 1024.50Mbps, and LG Uplus 865.88Mbps. This is the first time KT has outpaced SK Telecom since the quality assessment was introduced in 2007. The nationwide average download speed was 973.55Mbps, about 52Mbps lower than last year's 1025.52Mbps. The Ministry of Science and ICT said that by introducing for the first time this year a method that simultaneously measures 5G and LTE devices, the results reflect the actual 5G non-standalone (NSA) operating environment.
The newly introduced "required speed satisfaction rate" this year refers to the proportion that met the speeds required for each service, such as video conferencing and streaming. The nationwide 5G average satisfaction rates were 99.81% for web browsing (5Mbps), 99.46% for short-form videos on social media (20Mbps), and 98.18% for high-definition streaming (100Mbps).
By operator, SKT was 98.39%, LGU+ 98.28%, and KT 97.88%, with SKT evaluated as the best in terms of stability. SKT said, "We also had an edge in customer-perceived quality, including upload speed, access time, latency, and loss rate." KT emphasized, "Not only did we rank No. 1 in 5G downloads, but we also achieved No. 1 for nine consecutive years in wired 1- and 10-gig Internet speeds." LG Uplus explained, "Only 17 of the 600 evaluated areas were found to have inadequate quality, the fewest among the three companies."
The nationwide average LTE download speed was 96.18Mbps, down to about half compared with last year's 178.05Mbps. By operator, SKT was 119.36Mbps, KT 88.38Mbps, and LGU+ 80.79Mbps, and for video conferencing, the nationwide satisfaction rates were SK Telecom 82.16%, KT 72.04%, and LG Uplus+ 68.45%.
Quality issues for 5G in moving sections such as high-speed rail and subways also persisted. "Areas with inadequate quality," where the proportion failing to meet the 5G baseline speed (12Mbps) was 10% or more, accounted for 5.3% of the total (32 sections). In particular, five sections, including the KTX Cheonan Asan–Osong–Daejeon–Gimcheon Gumi section, were again rated inadequate, as last year. The Ministry of Science and ICT said, "We will drastically improve quality across all high-speed rail sections by 2027," and noted that it plans to expand equipment investment starting next year with the Gyeongbu and Honam lines.
Choi Woo-hyeok, director general for Information Security and Network Policy, said, "We will develop a new evaluation system tailored to the introduction of 5G standalone (SA) to drive quality improvements centered on user experience." The quality assessment results will be released on "Smart Choice" early next year.