Galaxy S5 could launch before April 5 in South Korea due to ban on carriers

The Galaxy S5 will have one of the biggest simultaneous smartphone launch in history when it hits 150 markets on April 11, but in Samsung's home country, an upcoming ban on local network operators could result in the Galaxy S5 launching considerably earlier. The ban will stop all carriers from selling smartphones for a 45-day period, which has prompted Samsung to aim for a pre-April 5 launch in South Korea, according to a source speaking to The Korean Herald. Why April 5? Because that's the day the ban goes into effect for the country's largest carrier, South Korea Telecom, which would be a serious setback for the launch of Samsung's latest flagship smartphone.

If the Galaxy S5 launches on its scheduled date, only South Korea's smallest carrier, LG U+, will be able to sell the device as it doesn't have to stop selling phones until April 27. A launch before April 5 could give Samsung the time it needs to make the Galaxy S5 a hit – every new flagship from the company often sells like hot cakes during its first week of launch, which would be enough to get the device the attention it needs in order to get consumers to come asking for it after the ban ends.

A March 27th launch is rumored, though with barely two days left to go, the launch will likely happen sometime by the end of this month. Samsung probably won't have the time to organize a glitzy launch event, but if an early launch means incoming revenue from smartphone sales, then the company probably won't care.

Via

Abhijeet Mishra - Editor-in-Chief

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First Samsung device: SGH-D500

Abhijeet's writing career started with guides for custom firmware for Samsung devices (including the original Galaxy S), and he moved to SamMobile in mid-2013 and worked up the ranks to Editor-in-chief. In addition to phones and mobile devices, his interests include gaming on both PC and console, PC hardware, and spending countless hours on YouTube watching videos on tech, movies, games, politics, and internet dramas.

Phone Galaxy S5 LG U+ SK Telecom South Korea South Korea Telecom