Following SK Telecom and LG Uplus, KT has also launched a mid-tier 5G plan. With all three major telecom companies preparing to release mid-tier plans, competition to attract 5G customers is expected to intensify.
On the 26th, KT announced the introduction of three mid-tier 5G plans ranging from 50GB to 90GB, 15 exclusive ‘Ydeom’ benefits for customers aged 29 and under, four senior plans, and five online direct plans.
First, the mid-tier plans feature an intuitive pricing structure with a monthly fee difference of 2,000 KRW per 20GB of data, making it easy for customers to understand. The shared data allowance for smart devices has been increased to 40GB to enhance user convenience. For example, a customer using 50GB of data per month previously could only choose the 69,000 KRW (110GB) plan, but with the newly introduced 63,000 KRW (50GB) mid-tier plan, they can save 6,000 KRW monthly.
The ‘Ydeom’ benefits are tailored for customers in their 20s who use a lot of data and have active content consumption. The data allowance is doubled, and benefits such as a 50% discount on TVING subscription fees have been enhanced. Customers aged 29 and under who subscribe to a 5G plan automatically receive Ydeom benefits. For example, a young customer using 60GB of data per month previously could only select the 69,000 KRW (110GB) plan, but with Ydeom benefits applied, they can use the 61,000 KRW (60GB) plan and save 8,000 KRW monthly.
KT plans to run a promotion offering a 50% discount on the OTT service ‘TVING’ subscription fee for customers aged 29 and under who choose the Simple 50GB plan (63,000 KRW per month) or higher in conjunction with the launch of the 5G mid-tier plans.
The senior-exclusive plans will be launched on the 12th of next month. They are segmented into four types based on age and data usage, with prices decreasing as age increases. Senior customers using 10GB of data can use the newly introduced 5G senior plan at the lowest monthly rate among domestic telecom companies, 44,000 KRW. With additional discounts such as a 25% contract discount, welfare discounts for basic pension recipients (up to 12,100 KRW per month), and bundle discounts, the actual monthly cost can be reduced to the 10,000 KRW range.
In July, KT will launch five new 5G direct plans. The 5G direct plans are online-only, no-contract plans approximately 30% cheaper than regular plans. The lineup ranges from an unlimited data plan (69,000 KRW per month) to an 8GB plan (34,000 KRW per month). Each plan includes smart device discounts and content benefits, and customers aged 29 and under receive ‘Ydeom’ benefits.
With this, all three major telecom companies have completed preparations to launch mid-tier plans. Previously, SKT introduced four 5G mid-tier plans with monthly basic data allowances of 37GB (62,000 KRW), 54GB (64,000 KRW), 74GB (66,000 KRW), and 99GB (68,000 KRW), and LG Uplus also released corresponding 5G mid-tier plans.
According to wireless communication service subscription data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of February this year, there are a total of 45,966,952 LTE subscribers in South Korea, accounting for a 62.5% market share, still outnumbering 5G subscribers. As the three telecom companies actively launch mid-tier plans, competition to increase the net growth of 5G subscribers is expected to become even fiercer.
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