[Weekly Signal] Mobile Carriers See Wireless Growth Stall as Competition for Long-Term Customers Heats Up

According to IT Daily, after the recent release of third-quarter 2026 results by SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, the three mobile carriers all reported subscriber growth in their second-quarter earnings announcements this year. However, while the carriers posted growth centered on new businesses such as AI data centers, their wireless businesses showed only slight revenue increases or declines despite subscriber gains.

In the three carriers' second-quarter earnings results this year, the increase in wireless business revenue was limited. As wireless business growth slowed at the three carriers, subscriber gains did not appear to translate sufficiently into higher wireless revenue.

Against this backdrop, the three carriers are expanding experiential benefits for long-term customers. They are intensifying competition to retain existing customers and secure long-term users.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT measured electromagnetic wave exposure from household products, bus stops, and public facilities. The results showed that all of the measured sites met domestic human protection standards.

SK Telecom and KT both saw second-quarter wireless and mobile communications revenue fall from a year earlier. SK Telecom's second-quarter mobile communications business revenue came to KRW 2.5634 trillion, down 1.9% from a year earlier, while KT's wireless business revenue was KRW 1.7497 trillion, down 1.8% year over year.

However, the two companies' 5G subscribers increased from the first quarter. SK Telecom showed a rising trend in 5G subscribers, with the number increasing from 17.8 million in the first quarter this year to 18 million in the second quarter. SK Telecom's handset subscribers also rose slightly from 21.96 million in the first quarter to 21.97 million in the second quarter. KT's 5G handset subscribers increased from 11.07 million in the first quarter to 11.147 million in the second quarter.

In contrast, LG Uplus posted a relatively stronger performance in its wireless business. LG Uplus' second-quarter mobile segment revenue was KRW 1.6602 trillion, up 0.9% from a year earlier, and its total mobile subscription lines increased 5.2% from 30.931 million in the first quarter this year to 31.467 million in the second quarter.

Despite the expansion in subscriber numbers, wireless revenue growth remained limited. The reasons cited were the market's entry into maturity and the lingering impact of last year's personal data breach incident.

KT said its wireless business performance this time was affected by a customer appreciation program from February to July this year. The company explained that the customer appreciation program acted as a performance factor amid a trend in which wireless revenue did not grow as much as subscriber numbers.

Against this backdrop, SK Telecom has been running "Table Day" for long-term customers with more than 10 years of service. The event spans 5 cities nationwide and invites a total of 1,200 long-term customers, and the Seoul event on the 8th was held at "Vista Walkerhill Seoul." A total of 400 long-term customers and companions attended the Seoul event on the 8th, where chefs Choi Hyun-seok and Kim Hee-eun joined to offer course meals and a live cooking show.

SKT has consolidated its long-term customer invitation events under the "T Long-term Customer Day" brand. The next benefit promotion is "Adventure Day," which will be held as a late-night private booking of Lotte World Adventure and will invite long-term customers with more than 10 years of service. The application period for "Adventure Day" runs through the 18th.

KT will provide "Chodaedream," an experiential invitation benefit program in September for long-term users. "Chodaedream" is KT's experiential long-term customer benefit program, targeting customers whose combined use period for mobile, internet, and IPTV products is at least 5 years, and the September program will be offered to 1,200 long-term customers. KT will invite 200 long-term customers to the "Reading the Future" conference for "Millie's Library" at COEX in Seoul on the 3rd of next month, and on the 18th of next month it will invite 1,000 long-term customers to a screening of the film "Resurrection Man" at Lotte Cinema locations in major cities nationwide, including Seoul, Incheon, Busan, and Gwangju.

"Reading the Future" will feature experts from various fields, including Eun Hee-kyung, Shin Hyung-cheol, and Anna Rosling. KT's September benefit application period runs through the 20th.

LG Uplus is also continuing benefits for long-term customers as part of its "Long-term Customer Invitation Program." On the 8th and 9th, LG Uplus held the "Legoland Waterful Party" at Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon and invited 3,000 long-term customers who are membership VVIP tier or higher and have been subscribed for at least 5 years. In addition, LG Uplus will roll out cultural experience benefits for long-term customers in September and will run an all-seat invitation event for the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" through the 21st. The event targets membership VVIP-or-higher customers and long-term customers with more than 10 years of service, and LG Uplus will provide performance tickets to a total of 1,100 people through a lottery.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said it jointly measured electromagnetic wave exposure from household products, smart bus stops, and various living facilities together with the National Radio Research Agency. The ministry conducts electromagnetic field intensity measurements after selecting household products and locations every half-year.

The latest measurement covered 34 items across 22 types of household products, including small single-person appliances, 4 smart bus stops, and 4,780 living facilities. The living facilities included a total of 4,780 sites such as child facilities, public facilities, and data centers.

The results showed that all sites met domestic electromagnetic wave human protection standards. The survey presented electromagnetic wave levels by appliance, bus stop, and facility as a percentage of the human protection standard.

The electromagnetic field intensity of single-person small appliances and AI home appliances was measured at 0.08% to 35.32% of the human protection standard. A total of 34 items across 22 types of household products were included in the survey.

The smart bus stop verification covered 4 bus stops in Songdo New Town in Incheon. The electromagnetic waves inside the smart bus stops and from their facilities were confirmed at 1.11% or less of the human protection standard.

In the measurement of electromagnetic waves at a total of 4,780 sites, including child facilities, public facilities, and data centers, electromagnetic waves at child and youth facilities were found to be around 1% of the human protection standard, those at medical facilities were around 1%, and those at facilities used by the elderly and people with disabilities were around 1%.

When the electromagnetic wave levels of convergence facilities, including commercial areas and data centers, were compared with human protection standards, the measured levels remained within a very small fraction of the standards, and facility groups including commercial areas and data centers were also found to be within 4% of the human protection standard.

Source: IT DAILY · Seong Won-young
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241023

References

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