[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] LG Uplus has launched a 'Friend Combination' product that allows groups of 4 to 5 people, such as family, couples, and friends, to use a 5G unlimited plan costing around 80,000 KRW per month for just around 30,000 KRW per month. This is the first service in the 5G and LTE market that allows not only families but also acquaintances to combine plans. Similar to Netflix and Wavve, users can share accounts with acquaintances to receive practical discounts on fees. Through this, LG Uplus aims to increase its so-called 'true fans.'
According to LG Uplus on the 10th, the newly launched 5G, LTE, and internet combined service 'U+ Together' is a bundling service where the discount increases as more communication fees are combined.
It is available for subscription with 5G and LTE unlimited plans, and up to 5 people can combine. The discount amount is 10,000 KRW each for 2-person combinations, 14,000 KRW each for 3-person combinations, and 20,000 KRW each for 4 to 5-person combinations, with larger discounts for more members.
Additionally, when combined with the 'Selective Contract' 25% discount and LG Uplus's 'LTE Plan Same Contract' 5,250 KRW discount, the total discount increases further. For example, a customer with a 4-person combination on a 5G unlimited plan (85,000 KRW per month) receives a total discount of 46,500 KRW from combination (20,000 KRW) + selective contract (21,250 KRW) + LTE Plan Same Contract (5,250 KRW), allowing them to pay a monthly fee of 38,500 KRW. This means a 5G unlimited plan originally priced in the 80,000 KRW range can be used for around 30,000 KRW per month.
Youth customers can use 5G unlimited plans for as low as the 20,000 KRW range. LG Uplus will provide an additional 10,000 KRW monthly discount to youth customers who subscribe to U+ Together combinations by the end of April. The youth discount does not require a separate application and is automatically applied to subscribers aged 18 or younger among combined customers. The benefit is available when two or more mobile lines are combined and is maintained until the subscriber turns 20.
To enhance the usability of the U+ Together combination, LG Uplus has also introduced three new unlimited plans. First, the '5G Premier Essential' plan costs 85,000 KRW per month and offers unlimited 5G data, with 15GB each for sharing and tethering data.
They also introduced LTE unlimited plans with the same names as the 5G plans. The 'LTE Premier Plus' plan costs 105,000 KRW per month, offering unlimited LTE data, with 50GB each for sharing and tethering data. It includes a monthly discount for two 2nd device lines and media and category packs that provide content benefits. The 'LTE Premier Essential' plan offers unlimited LTE data with 15GB each for sharing and tethering.
The U+ Together combination can be used with the three newly launched unlimited plans and four existing unlimited plans. For 5G, the applicable plans are Signature, Premier Super, Plus, Regular, and Essential (five types), and for LTE, Premier Plus and Essential (two types) are available.
For example, if four friends use 5G unlimited plans (85,000 KRW) for A and B, and LTE unlimited plans (85,000 KRW) for C and D, all four receive discounts of combination (20,000 KRW) + selective contract (21,250 KRW) + LTE Plan Same Contract (5,250 KRW). This allows each to pay a monthly fee of 38,500 KRW. As in this example, cross-combination of 5G and LTE is also possible.
U+ Together also offers internet bundling, not just mobile. It can be combined with 12 types of U+ internet services of 500M or higher. Discounts of up to 11,000 KRW per month are available for up to three lines. Internet bundling is possible under names other than the five mobile customers.
When combining acquaintances with U+ Together, a representative must be designated, and the representative cannot be changed arbitrarily after combination. The billing account must be unified under the representative. When the representative pays the monthly fee, the account can be used simultaneously by 3 to 4 people, similar to online video services (OTT) like Netflix and Wavve. Customers can only join one combination group, and if they change to a plan outside the eligible plans, they will be automatically removed from the combination.
Lee Sangheon, Head of Consumer Business Innovation Group (Executive Director) at LG Uplus, said, "We reflected the social trend of increasing single-person households and expanding living arrangements to couples and friends beyond family, as well as the social atmosphere of increased data usage due to online classes and video conferences. We hope that through this combination product, customers can reduce their data usage burden and enjoy the dual benefits of lowering household communication costs."
Meanwhile, LG Uplus announced on the 5th that it will launch mid-priced 5G plans '5G Slim+' and '5G Light+' priced between 40,000 and 50,000 KRW. Customers can use 5G unlimited plans for around 40,000 KRW per month, or around 30,000 KRW per month with selective contracts.
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