South Korean mobile operator LG Uplus added Ericsson as a supplier of 5G RAN equipment, with the vendor starting to deploy the gear on the operator’s 3.5GHz non-standalone (NSA) network earlier this month.

The Sweden-based vendor already supplies LG Uplus with 5G core network kit. In a statement, it said the latest deal is the first RAN contract with the operator and means it now holds contracts with all three Korean service providers for this element.

Dae-hee Kim, VP of network strategy at LG Uplus, said: “Ericsson’s end-to-end 5G technology leadership is key to ramping-up our nationwide 5G ambitions in Korea. Ericsson will help us to deliver the very best enhanced mobile broadband experiences for our subscribers, as well as opening up innovation and job creation opportunities through IoT, Industry 4.0 and digitalised society.”

The operator’s 5G network went live in early April.

Last month SK Telecom, the largest mobile operator in South Korea by subscribers, completed an end-to-end test of standalone 5G with Ericsson, as it moves towards a commercial launch of this variant in 2020.

The three operators racked up 3 million 5G subscribers in less than six months and are expected to hit 5 million by end-2019.