South Korea, which has taken the lead in launching commercial 5G services, is also increasing its support for developing and applying 5G technology.

According to media reports, South Korea will allocate 5G spectrum to non-telecom operators to support their research, development, and application of 5G-related technologies. The allocation is expected to be completed by the end of November and would be put to use by non-telecom operators for two to five years.

In addition to allocating 5G spectrum to non-telecoms, South Korea is also providing SMEs with 5G product testing facilities for them to test the products they have developed.

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said they had opened test sites for products that need to run on 5G networks to support small and medium-sized enterprises developing related products.

South Korea has allocated 19.8 billion won (about $17.3 million) for the test center's development from 2019-2023 for the 5G product test site opened in Gumi City, about 260 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The purpose of South Korea's 5G product test site is to help South Korean companies test whether their products, once connected to local and global 5G networks, can function properly and thus drive commercialization.