011·017 'Goodbye' 2G Shutdown Begins in Earnest...Users Deep in Dilemma

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] As SK Telecom prepares to terminate its 2G service starting from the 6th of next month, '01X' numbers such as 011 and 017 are also expected to be phased out. However, subscribers who have long maintained their 01X numbers continue to voice dissatisfaction.

According to the telecommunications industry on the 20th, the Ministry of Science and ICT conditionally approved SK Telecom's discontinuation of its 2G service on the 12th. SK Telecom plans to sequentially terminate 2G services starting with areas where equipment is severely outdated from next month. The last remaining 2G service from LG Uplus is also expected to follow suit.

LG Uplus's 2G frequency allocation period is the same as SK Telecom's, lasting until June 2021. However, during the frequency reallocation announcement process by the Ministry of Science and ICT this month, it is anticipated that LG Uplus will communicate its decision of 'no intention to reallocate.' KT already terminated its 2G service in 2012. Thus, 2G service will disappear into history by next year at the latest.

The regret among users still using 01X numbers remains strong. A user who has used a 2G phone for 22 years said, "As soon as the government policy was decided, they quickly decided to end the 2G service, so it is inevitably disappointing," adding, "It would be nice if the same number could be used at least on 3G, but it seems to be heading abruptly toward termination."

Another user lamented, "Is it clear that the termination of the 2G network is actually being used for other networks like 5G?" and added, "They say they are removing it because it is old, but it feels like they are trying to abruptly eliminate numbers that many people have invested time and attachment in."

However, from the telecommunications companies' perspective, providing 2G service is no longer feasible. An industry official explained, "Many overseas countries have already terminated 2G services, and equipment aging is severe, making it difficult to maintain the service," adding, "To efficiently allocate resources for 5G investment, the termination process is inevitable."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, there are currently about 380,000 2G service subscribers with SK Telecom and about 470,000 with LG Uplus.