Customer Safety Package Introduced
Includes FDS, USIM Protection Service, and USIM Replacement
The number of SK Telecom customers who replaced their USIM cards following the USIM information leak incident has reached a record daily high. The company also emphasized that there have been no cases of customer damage since the incident, thanks to the 'Customer Safety Package,' which can prevent harm caused by hacking.
On the morning of May 20, SKT held a daily briefing at Samhwa Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, and announced that as of the previous day, May 19, 330,000 customers had replaced their USIM cards, marking the highest daily figure ever recorded. The cumulative number of USIM replacements by May 19 was approximately 2.52 million, with 6.33 million customers still awaiting replacement.
SKT has been sequentially securing 5 million USIM cards this month to carry out the replacement process. In addition, 5.77 million cards are scheduled to arrive in June, and between 4.5 million and 5 million in July. The number of customers who switched to eSIMs through the self-service replacement method has increased to about 52,000. The eSIM self-replacement service allows customers with compatible devices to replace their SIMs by accessing a web page, without the need to visit a retail store.
SKT is accelerating the pace of free USIM replacements. Lim Bongho, Head of SKT's MNO (Mobile Network Operator) Business Division, stated, "We now have sufficient USIM inventory and are continuing to secure more," adding, "We will notify reserved customers as quickly as possible to proceed with USIM replacement and reconfiguration." He also noted that there is no separate deadline for reservation applications, and once the replacement situation stabilizes, customers will be able to replace their USIM cards at stores without prior reservation.
The on-site USIM replacement and reconfiguration service was also conducted for the first time the previous day. SKT visited Chuncheon in Gangwon, Changnyeong in Gyeongnam, and Taean in Chungnam, completing 1,070 USIM replacements. The company plans to visit about 300 locations in 100 cities and counties with limited accessibility by the end of next month.
Additionally, SKT stressed that it is protecting customer information through the Customer Safety Package. The package includes an abnormal authentication blocking system (FDS), USIM protection service, and USIM replacement.
SKT has been applying the advanced FDS 2.0 version since May 18, enabling the system to block access from illegally cloned phones. FDS 2.0 has been improved to prevent even device information theft, such as USIM and device IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers. FDS 2.0 is also applied to subscribers of budget mobile carriers that use the SKT network.
Meanwhile, SKT reiterated that call records are encrypted and have not been leaked.
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