The Ministry of Science and ICT is actively examining the feasibility of introducing a novel telecommunications data transfer system that could transform mobile phone usage. The plan would permit accumulating unused mobile data from one month and its subsequent use in the following month.
Vice Minister Park Yoon-gyu of the Ministry of Science and ICT shed light on this prospect during a recent press conference held at the Seoul headquarters of the Korea Institute for Intelligent Information Society (NIA).
He revealed that evaluations are underway to explore the practicality and potential benefits of implementing such a data carryover mechanism. He shared that there have been no recent indications from new players in the industry to explore the 28GHz frequency. This insight was accompanied by a suggestion that the government is contemplating avenues to foster innovation and open up fresh opportunities in this domain.
The popularity of the 5G mid-rate plan, introduced twice by the three major mobile carriers within the last year, has experienced a surge, surpassing 1 million subscribers. In this regard, the government measures include trimming the initiation periods of rate plans and revising existing regulations to ensure the effective execution of strategies that invigorate telecommunications competition.
In the months ahead, initiatives like formulating a digital bill of rights and strategies to attract new market participants will take center stage. However, the government’s endeavors to attract potential candidates for its fourth telecommunications project have encountered setbacks. It includes unconventional terms, including a 70% reduction in frequency allocation costs, which have not managed to stir interest from the market.
Discussions are also underway concerning proposals to decrease the starting point of the 5G plan from the current 40,000 won range to a more budget-friendly 30,000 won range. The intention is to diversify the availability of economical plan options in collaboration with mobile carriers.
Plans have been unveiled to reduce the initial rate threshold for 5G plans and introduce a wider array of user-centered rate plans in consultation with telecommunications operators.
During Media Day, Park Yoon-kyu acknowledged that while it’s early to ascertain the significant impact of the 5G intermediate rate system, more than 1 million subscribers have registered over a year among the three major telecommunications companies.
Furthermore, the three carriers collectively introduced 11 different 5G intermediate rate plans spanning 31 to 100 GB since August of the preceding year.
In a previous announcement, the Ministry of Science and ICT disclosed plans to allocate an 800-megahertz (MHz) wide band within the 5G 28 GHz frequency range and a 700-mHz anchor frequency band to new operators.
This move saw a considerable reduction in the price of the 5G 28GHz band allocation, bringing it down to approximately 30% of its previous cost. Additionally, the obligation for new operators to establish base stations was decreased to 40% of the prior requirement.
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