Korea Telecom’s LTE launch is in jeopardy after a domestic court ordered the telco to keep its 2G network lit.

 

The order arrived just hours before the switch off of the 2G network, and could scupper KT’s plans to refarm the 1800MHz spectrum used by that network for its 4G service, which was scheduled to go live this week.

 

Around 1,000 of KT’s 2G customers filed a class-action lawsuit last week, seeking to overturn Korean regulator KCC’s decision to allow the switch off to proceed. The court decision yesterday means the operator is now barred from turning the network off until a full hearing, the Korea Herald reports.

 

KT’s 2G subscriber base stands at 159,000 – less than 1% of its total wireless users.