LG Uplus Corp, also known as LG U+, is a South Korean mobile network operator that is a subsidiary of LG Corporation. The company was initially known as LG Telecom but rebranded to its current name on 1st July 2010. LG Uplus is considered the third-largest wireless carrier in South Korea. The company's history dates back to 1996 when LG entered the wireless communications market by acquiring a CDMA license. This led to the establishment of a new carrier named LG Telecom, which went on to build a nationwide digital cellular network. In 1998, LG Telecom launched the world's first commercial cdmaOne data service using PCS technology, a move aimed at distinguishing itself from larger, more established market players. In a bid to better position itself in the bundled services market, LG Telecom acquired LG Dacom, a fixed-line communications networks and Internet-related service provider, and LG Powercom, one of Korea's largest ISPs. This consolidation led to the renaming of LG Telecom to LG U+ in 2010.
Alias
LG Uplus, Corp.
Country
South Korea
Type
Network Operator
LG Uplus logo

4G Network

LG U+ launched 4G LTE in July 2011 using a 10 MHz channel of B5 (850 MHz). A dual-carrier network was developed in July 2012 with the addition of B1 (2100 MHz), with LTE-A 2C carrier aggregation implemented July 2013 supporting DL rates up to 150 Mbps. Following the August 2013 auction, LG U+ secured an additional 40 MHz of 2600 MHz spectrum and implemented B7 (2600 MHz) in mid-2014, permitting peak data rates of up to 225 Mbps using 2C aggregation of the new band.

The company became the first South Korean operator to implement 3C aggregation (300 Mbps - CA_1A-5A-7A), deploying the feature nationally by July 2014. LTE-Advanced Pro was tested in November 2015 achieving 1.2 Gbps using both 4X4 MIMO and 256QAM technologies. LG U+ has also tested LTE-U LAA, 4C aggregation, and UL 2C CA.

LG U+ formed a partnership with KT and Huawei to begin deploying a joint national NB-IoT network shared between the two networks. The network was commercially launched July 2017 using a 200 kHz channel in the B3 (1800 MHz) band.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
10
Active
B5 (850 MHz)
10
Active
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

The company has performed extensive 5G testing with its partner Huawei. The tests include a dual-band network comprising n78 (3500 MHz) and n257 (28 GHz), demonstrating peak data rates in excess of 20 Gbps. After securing 80 MHz of 3.5 GHz spectrum in the June 2018 auctions, along with 800 MHz of 28 GHz spectrum, LG U+ launched its 5G network in April 2019 over the n78 (3500 MHz) band. The initial network launch comprises over 10,000 Huawei 5G base stations.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n78 (3500 MHz)
80
Active
n257 (28 GHz)
400
Partial Use
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch