'The Last 2G' 019 Also Ends in History... LGU+ Applies for Termination

LG Uplus Applies for Closure with Ministry of Science and ICT
Following KT's 016·018 and SK Telecom's 011·017
Complete Service Termination of LG Uplus 019 as Well

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The last ‘01X’ number, ‘019,’ is disappearing into history. LG Uplus’s 2G service, which still has 374,000 subscribers, will end its service in June.

On the 15th, LG Uplus submitted a business closure application for its 2G service to the Ministry of Science and ICT. LG Uplus plans to begin procedures to terminate 2G by the first half of the year, with the ‘019’ number maintained until the end of June. Accordingly, following KT’s 016 and 018 numbers (ended in 2012) and SK Telecom’s 011 and 017 numbers (ended in 2020), the 019 number will also be discontinued, completely eliminating the carriers’ ‘01X’ numbers.

An LG Uplus official stated, "The detailed timing and plan for the 2G service termination will be decided step-by-step in consultation with the government," adding, "The human and material resources secured through the 2G termination will be intensively invested in improving 5G services and developing new services such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)."

The 2G termination is a measure to align with the government’s 010 number integration policy and to prevent inefficient use of frequency resources due to the decline in 2G subscribers. The discontinuation of 2G-supported devices, aging communication equipment, and cessation of parts production are also reasons behind the 2G termination.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, among LG Uplus’s approximately 374,000 2G subscribers (as of last November), 60% are corporate customers, most of whom use IoT lines in fields such as security and monitoring.

LG Uplus has prepared transition support programs including discounts on fees and device purchase support so that existing 2G subscribers can switch to LTE or 5G without inconvenience. Customers switching to LTE or 5G can choose one of the following: ▲up to 300,000 KRW discount on phone purchase and 10,000 KRW monthly discount on usage fees for two years ▲70% monthly usage fee discount for two years ▲free provision of 12 types of no-contract devices and 10,000 KRW monthly usage fee discount for two years. However, since the 12 free no-contract devices are LTE-only products, this option is only available when switching to LTE.

Additionally, LTE transition customers can subscribe to one of 10 plans that offer LTE service at the same price as their existing 2G plans. Subscribers can use the call and text allowances included in their chosen 2G plan at a low cost on LTE as well. LG Uplus plans to inform customers about the 2G service termination timing and transition support programs via text messages, its website, nationwide stores, and customer centers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.