A new plan for low-data users expanded consumers’ options in South Korea after KT Corp. launched a 5G plan in the 30,000 won ($22.2) range in January 2024. Telcos SK telecom and LG Uplus also recently introduced similarly affordable 5G plans.

SK telecom and LG Uplus announced the launch of their respective 5G plans on Wednesday, offering 6GB of data every month with the ‘Compact’ plan for 39,000 won and 5GB with the ‘5G Mini’ plan for 37,000 won.

Both new plans allow consumers to use data at speeds of up to 400Kbps after exhausting their data allowance, which is sufficient for basic functions such as using KakaoTalk or browsing the web. In comparison, KT‘s plan offers 4GB of data for 37,000 won per month.

In addition to these plans, SK telecom introduced the ’Compact Plus‘ plan priced at 40,000 won, which offers 8GB of data. Plans that previously offered 8GB and 11GB of data per month in the 40,000 to 50,000 won range were expanded to include 11GB and 15GB of basic data respectively. Existing customers who use 6GB or less of data per month can switch to the new Compact plan from the Basic plan to save 10,000 won per month.

LG Uplus has also introduced the 30,000 won range 5G Mini plan along with the ’5G Basic‘ plan priced at 59,000 won for 24GB of data, as well as increasing the data allowances for its existing mid-range plans to 9GB and 14GB from the previous 6GB and 12GB respectively.

LG Uplus also expanded the age range for eligibility to its youth-oriented plan, which offers additional data, with the age limit for enrollment in the youth plan increased from 29 to 34 years old.

By Jeong Ho-jun and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]