South Korean mobile phone users can continue to use basic data services even after they have exhausted their monthly data quota, albeit at reduced speeds, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications said on Thursday, a move aimed at protecting their communication rights. Under an agreement with South Korea's Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications, South Korea's three major operators - SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus - will continue to provide basic data access services at speeds reduced to 400 kilobits per second (kbps) to all users who have exhausted their high-speed data traffic to support users' use of basic functions such as instant messaging applications.
According to South Korea's Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications Technology, while the speed is not enough for data-intensive tasks such as video streaming, it is still enough for users to send messages or use map apps.
South Korea’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications stated that it will cooperate with the three major operators to implement the agreed improvement measures before the end of June.
The department added that the new policy is expected to benefit 7.17 million users who currently do not have unlimited data plans, helping them save up to 322.1 billion won (approximately $218.8 million) annually.
"In the age of artificial intelligence and digital, mobile communication data has become a necessity. To ensure that everyone can communicate on a daily basis and obtain basic information, it is crucial to strengthen their right to access communication data," the department said in a statement.
In addition, the government will also require mobile operators to expand voice and text messaging quotas for users aged 65 and above currently using limited service packages, which will benefit approximately 1.4 million senior citizens.