Prefix rule on mobiles dials up SK's wrath

SK Telecom Co., the largest player in the mobile service market, and the Ministry of Information and Communication are up in arms over the recent government decision to discard different prefixes －－ five are in use currently －－ for new users next year. The Information Ministry said Thursday that the current 011 and 017 (SK Telecom), 016 and 018 (KTF Co.) and 019 (LG TeleCom Co.) prefixes for mobile numbers will be replaced with single 010 for new subscribers, those who switch carriers and those who want the new prefix starting in 2004. SK Telecom criticized the policy, saying the step will make its 011 brand lose value. "The fact that the government decided to converge the prefixes in the transitional period of administration shows that it favors certain companies," an SK official said. The official added that the new government must resolve this issue. As friction escalates between SK and the government, Lee Sang-chul, the minister of information and communication, stepped in and explained Friday that frequencies and numbers belong to the government, and they are not the possessions of a company. "In any advanced countries around the world, not one government distributed prefix numbers to mobile service operators and let numbers distinguish carriers," Mr. Lee said. "The system, in fact, should have been introduced earlier to rid the inconveniences to consumers who must dial prefixes with other numbers when making a call." The government's position is that mobile service providers must compete in a more fair environment for the benefit of consumers, the information ministry said. SK Telecom criticized the government's lack of consistency in policies: One year ago, the government had said that it will introduce united prefixes for third generation mobile services; now it wants the early introduction for the second generation mobile services, the company complained. by Kim Dong-sub