[Market Focus] Excue and Ubivelox Hit Upper Price Limit Amid SKT USIM Replacement Surge

Excue and Ubivelox both hit the upper price limit. This surge is believed to have been driven by investor sentiment toward USIM suppliers, following SK Telecom's (SKT) announcement of a 100% compensation plan for customers affected by a hacking incident that resulted in the leakage of USIM data.

On April 28, Excue and Ubivelox both immediately reached their upper price limits after the market opened, at 5,010 won and 9,320 won, respectively. The previous day, SKT announced in a public statement that, starting at 10 a.m. on the same day, it would offer free USIM replacements to customers at approximately 2,600 T World stores nationwide. This announcement boosted the share prices of related companies. The companies currently known as SKT's USIM suppliers include Excue, Ubivelox, Thales, and SK Telink. Kona I, a comprehensive smart card solution provider, also jumped by about 8%, but it is reported that the company is not an SKT USIM supplier.

SKT has approximately 23 million subscribers. When including the 1.87 million subscribers of budget mobile carriers that use SKT's network, the total potential demand for USIM replacements approaches 25 million. SKT currently holds a USIM inventory of about 1 million units and plans to secure an additional 5 million USIMs by the end of May.