India, Jan. 15 -- 5G is still in a holding pattern.

Users and operators are waiting for new apps and use cases to drive usage.

That's true even in northeast Asia, where China has more than 200 million 5G subscribers, South Korea around 12 million and Japan an estimated 4 million.

The arrival of the iPhone 12 has sparked take-up, but even so the latest round of 5G discounts reminds us that it's low-priced data that is making the running.

Speeding into first

This is especially true in South Korea. Their networks might be rated the world's fastest and their 5G service portfolios the broadest, but South Korean operators are turning to discounts to spark take-up and usage.

Earlier this week market leader SKT announced a 30% price cut for...