SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, the three major telecommunications companies, are expected to launch mid-tier 5G plans with data capacities ranging from 40 to 100GB within this month.
On the 17th, Park Yoon-kyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated during a meeting with reporters at the Sejong Government Complex, "We are in discussions with telecom companies to introduce various mid-tier plans as early as this month."
Previously, the three telecom companies each launched mid-tier 5G plans priced between 50,000 and 60,000 KRW last August. However, since the basic data allowance was limited to 25 to 31GB, the need for mid-tier plans offering data between 40 and 100GB has been continuously raised.
In response, the government announced last month at the Emergency Economic and Livelihood Meeting that it would promote diversification of 5G plan tiers so that users can subscribe to plans that match their data usage and reduce their communication expenses.
Additionally, the government is reportedly discussing measures to further segment benefits for senior plans, which are priced lower than general 5G plans, according to different elderly age groups.
On the same day, Vice Minister Park also expressed the intention to invigorate competition through the entry of new operators regarding the 28GHz frequency band reclaimed from KT and LG Uplus.
He said, "As confirmed through overseas cases at the public forum, when the number of operators increases and competition is activated, prices can be lowered accordingly. Under this policy direction, we are exploring various measures through a task force (TF)."
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to prepare and announce the 28GHz frequency allocation plan in the second to fourth quarters and aims to select new operators before the end of this year.
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