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South Korea to boost competition with fourth mobile operator
2015-05-29 09:49:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) The South Korean government said it will select a fourth telecom carrier within the year in order to boost competition in a market dominated by SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, the Korea Herald reported. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced the plan as part of its reform bill on the nation's mobile network services. In order to lower entry barriers such as the initial investments and limited frequencies, the government plans to offer the new player priority in frequency allocation and allow it to build up a nationwide network in phases, not all at once. Market watchers expect a fourth player could eventually pull prices down for consumers. Potential candidates are expected to undergo a tough selection process as their failure to ensure a soft landing in the market could lead to huge social costs, including consumer damages. In order to further encourage competition, the government also plans to raise the market share of low-price service plans from the current 10 percent to 12 percent next year by offering incentives for service providers. Another key revision is the abolishment of the 25-year-old approval system of new service plans. Under the new bill, companies will be allowed to launch their new plans without approval so that they can respond to consumer demands immediately. The launch process that usually takes one or two months will be reduced to 15 days, during which the government will review possible consumer harm or antitrust issues.
Tags: south
mobile
korea
fourth
Category:Telecommunications