Switching Internet service to get easier in new year

Beginning next year, high-speed Internet users will be able to switch more easily to other service providers, one of several plans the government intends to implement for consumer protection. The Korea Information Society Development Institute, a research body under the Information Ministry, presented a roadmap yesterday on regulations for service providers in the highly competitive broadband market. The presentation was made after ministry officials met with heads of major high-speed Internet companies and consumer groups and discussed medium to long-term telecommunication policies. According to the plans, Internet service providers must give consumers a contract that guarantees the quality of the Internet connection speed and pledge to guarantee protection of the consumer’s information privacy before starting a service. Until now, most high-speed Internet applications were made without exchanges of any forms of contracts. Internet users will also be able to freely switch to another service. The government required companies to take out clauses that made it difficult for users to switch to other services by setting various conditions. The ministry said that the market should be open so that anyone could freely enter it and that the government is thinking of introducing such a system next year. Until now, the telecommunication market in Korea was strictly managed by the government and companies had to bid to do certain services. In order to boost new services, the ministry proposed that services such as Internet phone services and Internet protocol television, or IPTV, should be encouraged. In support of the innovations, the ministry will let people keep the numbers for their fixed-line phones even if they change to Internet phone services. IPTV is now only in pilot service. The service has been pending over the past several years. Firms wanted to start the service several years ago but were delayed because the broadcasting committee and Information Ministry were in dispute as to whether Internet TV would fall under the realm of telecommunications or broadcasting. by Wohn Dong-hee