SK Telecom wins government approval to end 2G mobile service

By Lim Chang-won Posted : June 12, 2020, 17:21 Updated : June 12, 2020, 17:21

[Courtesy of SK Telecom]


SEOUL -- SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, has won government approval to terminate its 25-year-old service based on code-division multiple access (CDMA), a second-generation channel access method used in mobile phone standards, as it shifts fast to 5G services.

The green light from the Ministry of Science and ICT came after SK Telecom (SKT) pledged subsidies and other incentives to help 384,000 2G service subscribers pick new smartphones. SKT is the first company to introduce CDMA technologies in 1996, followed by KT and LG Uplus (LGU+). KT terminated its 2G service in 2011.

SKT will phase out its 2G service by June 2021. "We have taken necessary measures to ensure that existing 2G users can enjoy 3G or more services with less risk of network failure without additional cost," Lee Tai-hee, a deputy minister in charge of network policy said, adding it's not easy to supply aging equipment parts for 2G services.

LGU+ has yet to say when it will end its 2G service for 475,500 subscribers. Lee said the mobile carrier is expected to follow suit. South Korea with a population of 51 million has some seven million 5G mobile subscribers as of May.
 
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