South Korea-based mobile operator KT signed separate agreements with Intel and Qwilt, a content delivery system provider, aimed at accelerating the development of new 5G services.

KT said it will use Intel’s mobile trial platform and processors to develop its 5G network. KT previously announced plans to launch commercial 5G service in March 2019.

The country’s second largest operator, with a 31 per cent market share, also announced it is partnering with US-based Qwilt to optimise its future 5G network and improve streaming quality by deploying the application developer’s content delivery and open caching systems.

South Korea’s three major mobile operators announced in July plans to work together to launch 5G networks at the same time in 2019 to “avoid excessive competition” and ensure the country is the first to launch the next-generation technology.