Signal KISDI forecasts flat Korean wireless revenue near 26.8 trillion won as 5G and IoT lines keep rising

Summary

KISDI estimates Korea's wireless communications revenue, including mobile, at 26.7 trillion won in 2025, unchanged from the previous year. It forecasts revenue of 26.8 trillion won in 2026, a rise of 0.2 percent, followed by average annual growth of 0.7 percent over 2026 to 2030, with growth easing slightly as the pace of the 5G transition slows. Since service launched in April 2019, 5G has spread quickly and accounted for 66.2 percent of handset subscribers as of October 2025. Internet of Things lines reached 30.92 million in October 2025, up 14.0 percent from a year earlier and equal to 33.3 percent of all mobile lines. These figures show subscriber migration and machine connections continuing even as revenue growth stays close to flat.