SEOUL, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) — As mobile phone plans rapidly shift from voice-centered to data-centered plans—with free calls and text messages—2G users are feeling left out. The new plans are designed for those who access 3G and LTE service networks with smartphones. As 2G users use mobile phones only for calling and texting, mobile carriers are [...]
SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) – SK Telecom, South Korea’s top mobile carrier, said Tuesday it will start selling a new rate plan that offers unlimited calls and text messages and charges only based on the amount of downloaded data, joining the race with two local rivals as mobile trends shift to data-focused services. The [...]
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — As the Korean government has banned monetary incentives to customers buying cell phones, some bizarre stories about illegal offers are circulating around the web. Since all forms of monetary incentives are now illegal, some phone sellers are secretly providing cash support to buyers using secret code, such as 40 [...]
SEOUL, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) — As Koreans increasingly use their cell phones for data rather than making phone calls and texting, KT launched a new service that provides LTE data at price points from 20,000 won to 50,000 won, including unlimited talking and texting. Mobile phone rates in Korea are usually proportional to voice minutes [...]
SEOUL, May 4 (Korea Bizwire) – According to a May 3 announcement from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the number of budget phone service subscribers surpassed the 5 million mark as of April 21. Reaching the 5 million mark means that mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are hitting their stride as meaningful competitors [...]
SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) – South Korea’s mobile carriers said Monday they will accept preorders for Samsung Electronics‘ latest high-end smartphone models — the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge – this week, adding that the models will be available for use on April 10. SK Telecom, the country’s leading mobile carrier, said subscribers can make orders [...]
SEOUL, March 26 (Korea Bizwire) – LG Electronics, South Korea’s No. 2 tech firm, plans to roll out its latest LTE network-powered smartwatch in Korea. The LG Watch Urbane LTE comes with its own universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card that allows users to make phone calls without being paired with smartphones. It will be [...]
SEOUL, March 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom slipped below a 50 percent share in the domestic market for the first time in 13 years in February, data showed Wednesday. According to data compiled by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, SK Telecom had 49.6 percent of the [...]
SEOUL, March 25 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s No. 3 mobile carrier, LG Uplus, said Wednesday it has launched a smart-car management system that runs on the long-term evolution (LTE) network, providing users with real-time information related to their automobiles to ensure safer driving. Dubbed Telematics in Athena (TiA), the service allows users to check [...]
SEOUL, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The three biggest mobile network operators in Korea, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus have joined forces to launch a unified app store platform, One Store, in a move that will combine their current offerings, T Store, Olleh Market and U Plus Store. The three mobile operators invited 350 app developers [...]