S. Korea to end 2G network services by June

This undated file photo shows 2G phones. (Yonhap)

LG U+ said Sunday that the company would terminate its 2G network services by the end of June this year, which would mark the end of the aging network in the country.

LG U+, currently the only company that operates 2G services, has reported its plan to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the company said, adding that a detailed schedule is yet to be finalized.

LG U+ is the last mobile carrier here to terminate the aging network. SK Telecom ended its 2G services last July, and KT shut down 2G services in 2012, as technologies advanced and the number of 2G network users dropped. 　

As of November 2020, the number of 2G network subscribers of LG U+ reached 374,000, accounting for around 2.5 percent of the carrier‘s total 14.8 million subscriptions, according to the ICT Ministry’s data.

The mobile carrier added its decision came in line with the government’s policy to ensure efficient utilization of radio frequencies available here, it said.

South Korea started 2G mobile services in 1996 based on the world‘s first commercial code division multiple access network built by SK Telecom. The number of 2G subscribers in the nation surpassed 20 million in 2006 but started to decrease after the nation commercialized 3G and 4G networks in 2003 and 2011, respectively.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)

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