[Exclusive] "You have dialed the wrong number" responses will decrease... Phone numbers recycled only after 90 days of cancellation

Short Grace Period Causes Trouble from Wrong Calls and Spam
Ministry of Science and ICT and Three Telecom Companies Discuss Extension of Aging Period

Starting from the 1st of next month, the grace period during which a previously used mobile phone number can be reused after being canceled will be extended from 28 days to 90 days, nearly tripling. This is expected to reduce the inconvenience caused by calls or spam messages directed to the previous user when changing numbers.

On the 28th, a representative from the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that, together with SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, they have decided to extend the aging period (the grace period before a number canceled by an existing subscriber is provided to a new subscriber) to 90 days starting April 1st.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When changing a mobile phone number, if a user immediately uses a number previously used by someone else instead of a new number, the inconvenience caused by calls or messages intended for the previous user can be significant. Since the number was recently used by another person, there is a disadvantage of receiving many spam calls (advertising messages sent to unspecified many via calls, etc.) or messages compared to new numbers or numbers unused for a long time. For example, an elementary school student who newly activates a mobile phone might receive illegal loan solicitation spam messages right away. While it would be ideal to use a brand-new number that has never been used before, data obtained by Rep. Kim Young-sik of the People Power Party from the Ministry of Science and ICT last year shows that all SK Telecom's number resources have usage history. KT has about 10,000 numbers without usage history, and LG Uplus has 220,000 numbers confirmed as new numbers without usage history. Accordingly, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three telecom companies have set an aging period to prevent such issues.

The existing aging period is relatively short at 28 days. In the worst case, when changing a number, a user might receive a number that was just canceled by the previous user less than 28 days ago. This has led to criticism that the aging period is insufficient and does not reflect the purpose of the system's introduction. Last year, a revision bill to the Telecommunications Business Act was proposed in the National Assembly to require telecom companies to take technical measures to block calls or text messages in the name of previous users and to extend the aging period. In response, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three telecom companies began discussions in the second half of last year to consider extending the number aging period.

Extending the aging period has the advantage of reducing calls or spam directed to the previous user. However, extending it indefinitely could lead to a shortage of number resources. In particular, there were concerns last year that the introduction of eSIM would accelerate the depletion of number resources. Since one mobile phone can use two numbers, the demand for numbers increases.

A representative from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "While it would be better to extend the number aging period even longer, we have agreed to increase it from 28 days to 90 days for now," adding, "We ran simulations and found that there is no issue with number shortages when the aging period is extended to 90 days."