Samsung Electronics, the nation’s largest handset maker, is poised to move up Galaxy S5’s release date to March 27, from April 11, due to recent developments with the nation’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom.

Due to an illegal subsidy war, the nation’s major telecom operators have been forced to undergo business suspensions on a rotational basis by the government regulator.

A source from SK Telecom said, “If Samsung Electronics rolls out its new smartphones after April 5, it will have a smaller impact on the market through (relying on just) KT and LG Uplus,“ to explain why the release date of the latest Galaxy phone has been moved up.

A source close to Samsung said, ”Although Samsung is a global company, it is based in Korea. It cannot underestimate the impact of the No. 1 carrier SK Telecom.”

“Samsung is considering rescheduling the release date before April 5 when SK Telecom‘s business suspension starts,” he added.

If the Galaxy S5 is unveiled earlier in Korea, the global release date may also be affected, an inside source said.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com) and Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)