LG Electronics and Sprint work on 5G readiness

LG Electronics and U.S. mobile carrier Sprint are teaming up to bring 5G-enabled smartphones to the U.S. by the first half of next year.

Sprint announced Tuesday that it is working with LG Electronics USA to deliver the first mobile 5G smartphone in the country. The Korean LG headquarters confirmed the news Wednesday.

“LG has done tremendous work developing technical designs that enable us to be among the first movers in mobile 5G,” said Dr. John Saw, chief technology officer at Sprint.

The Korean electronics giant also said it will make this partnership a stepping stone in expanding its 5G business in the North American region in a statement.

According to the U.S. carrier, a high-speed 5G network enables customers to download full-length HD movies in seconds instead of minutes and enjoy graphic-heavy videos or games without delays.

As global mobile carriers scramble to commercialize the next generation 5G network by early next year, smartphone makers are preparing to launch phones that run on 5G. Samsung Electronics said last week it plans to launch a 5G-enabled smartphone by next March. Samsung said its first 5G phone will not be the upcoming flagship Galaxy S10.

By Kim Jee-hee