The Ministry of Science and ICT supports the launch of various 5G rate plans by accepting SK Telecom's 5G notification, thereby reducing the burden of communication fees and expanding user choice.

On July 29, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it would accept the report regarding the 5G terms of service submitted by SK Telecom on July 11, following a review in accordance with relevant laws (whether it hinders user interests and fair competition) and the listening of expert opinions.

Last April, the 5G Transition Committee announced the diversification of 5G rate plans based on the average data usage of 5G users as a policy direction, and opinions have been continuously raised in the National Assembly that the diversification of rate plan tiers is necessary.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has also been continuously consulting with telecommunication companies on the diversification of rate plans and requested the prompt launch of mid-range 5G rate plans at a meeting of the CEOs of the three major telecommunication companies.
 
SKT has reported a total of five new rate plans this time. The additions include supplementing the previously unavailable small (8GB) and heavy (24GB) data tiers, creating a new unlimited data tier with different additional benefits, and establishing two new online rate plan tiers corresponding to the small and heavy data tiers.

SKT stated that with the addition of 5G rate plan lineups through this reorganization, it is expected that customers will be able to make rational choices based on their usage patterns, such as cost, data, and additional benefits, when selecting a rate plan.

"We focused on introducing a variety of 5G rate plans that meet customer expectations by considering their usage patterns," said Kim Ji-hyung, head of SKT's integrated marketing strategy. "Going forward, we will continue to introduce various services across all of SKT's product lines that satisfy customers and contribute to improving customer convenience."

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that, in accordance with Article 28 of the Telecommunications Business Act, a notification system applies to rate plans of telecommunication companies, but in the case of SKT, the dominant operator in the mobile phone market, the notification may be rejected if it falls under the grounds for rejection stipulated by the Telecommunications Business Act (impairment of user interests, impediment to fair competition), and accordingly, it reviewed whether user interests and fair competition were impedimented and listened to expert opinions.

In addition, it was announced that it has decided to accept SKT's report, taking into consideration that it can contribute to alleviating the burden on users by introducing five new rate plans, and that in terms of fair competition, it plans to provide wholesale small and heavy volume ranges to MVNOs, thereby resolving the negative impact on competition with MVNOs focused on mid-to-low prices.

Reflecting requests from the National Assembly and consumer groups for the need to launch a variety of rate plans in the future, it is expected that KT and LGU+ will also launch mid-range 5G rate plans in the near future, starting with SKT.

The Ministry of Science and ICT &l“We plan to continue our efforts to expand user choice and reduce the burden of communication costs by actively consulting with telecommunication companies to launch a wider variety of 5G rate plans by segment and tier,” he added.