Science minister calls for more 5G options, SKT listens

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Science minister calls for more 5G options, SKT listens

From left: SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang; Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho; KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo; LG U+ Hwang Hyeon-sik. [MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND ICT]

From left: SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang; Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho; KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo; LG U+ Hwang Hyeon-sik. [MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND ICT]

 
The science minister urged mobile carriers to come up with more options for 5G subscriptions during a meeting with the CEOs of telecom companies on Monday, following public criticism about limited plans. 
 
SK Telecom is likely to become the first to heed the call.
 
Lee Jong-ho, the minister of science and ICT, attended a meeting with the CEOs of KT, SK Telecom and LG U+ to discuss 5G network services at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Jung District, central Seoul, Monday.
 
This was the minister’s first meeting with the heads of Korea’s three telecom companies. Lee came into office on May 11.
 
“With public utility rates and consumer prices rising sharply as of late, this is a very tough time for the domestic economy and Koreans,” said Lee. “Considering the situation, I believe that we now have to make an active effort to come up with 5G subscription plans that meet consumer demand, in order to make the telecom service more accessible and ensure broader consumer choices.”
 
The government announced in May that it will encourage mobile carriers to offer mid-range 5G subscription plans starting from the third quarter of this year, in order to ensure broader consumer choices for those who prefer monthly data usage plans varying from 20 to 100 gigabytes.
 
Currently available options offer either 10 to 12 gigabytes of data a month for 55,000 won ($42), or 110 to 150 gigabytes for between 69,000 won to 75,000 won.
 
Monthly data usage averaged at 27.8 gigabytes per user in May, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
 
Following the talks with the minister, SK Telecom filed a service product application for a new mid-range 5G subscription plan to the ministry.
 
"The new subscription plan is likely to be introduced in early August," said SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang after the meeting.
 
SK Telecom’s new 5G plan is reported to offer 24 gigabytes of data a month and be priced at 59,000 won, but details have not been confirmed.
 
During the meeting, Lee also called for a bigger effort from the mobile carriers to improve 5G network service quality and stability, including improving the 28-gigahertz frequency band for 5G network services, which enables higher performance than the more widely used 3.5-gigahertz band, and creating an Open-Ran ecosystem. 
 
Open-Ran is a concept that allows telecom operators to mix and match components of a network system from multiple vendors by using open and interoperable interfaces.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]
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