KT ends 3G sign-ups with 68,000 subscribers in March

Korea Telecom (KT) halted new 3G sign-ups on 2 November, with a March count of 68,000 3G subscribers, equal to 0.5% of its total base. The South Korean operator is beginning to retire a service launched commercially 23 years earlier, but existing customers will retain access while the final shutdown awaits government approval.

At 0.5%, 3G accounted for roughly one in every 200 KT subscribers in March. That makes the technology a marginal source of new business, although the figure cannot serve as a November estimate. Money Today reported the March subscriber total, and KT provided no more recent count.

The operational rationale is equally clear: KT said the decision reflected “aging 3G equipment” that was affecting its ability to provide “stable communications services.” The company has therefore stopped using 3G as an acquisition channel well before it switches off the network.

What exactly is the suspension stopping?

From 2 November, KT stopped new 3G registrations, number transfers and device changes involving 3G phones. The wording extends beyond first-time 3G contracts and also covers LTE phones that lack HD-voice support.

The announcement did not freeze LTE or 5G sales. Instead, KT is encouraging customers to move to those technologies, using the end of 3G enrollment as the prompt. Existing 3G accounts can continue using the service, so the change affects new business and certain account changes rather than immediate disconnection.

What support will customers receive?

KT has offered several migration routes:

• Free device replacements.
• Bill discounts for 24 months, equal to two years of savings.
• Support payments for customers who cancel their KT service and move to another provider.

The announcement did not specify the value of the switch-away payment, the size of the bill discounts, the eligible devices or the replacement timetable. It also stopped short of saying whether every existing 3G customer would receive the same support. The commercial cost and practical ease of migration therefore remain unclear.

Why is KT retiring 3G now?

KT’s stated reason focuses on equipment condition and service stability rather than claims about the performance of LTE or 5G. The company cited no new technology trial, subscriber-growth target or vendor performance claim as justification for the suspension.

KT named neither an equipment vendor nor a replacement handset supplier. The announcement also omitted network spending, maintenance costs and details of the affected infrastructure. It confirms an operational constraint, but it does not show how much the transition will cost or how quickly new equipment will resolve that constraint.

When will 3G actually disappear?

KT has not set a final termination date. Its disclosed sequence requires the operator to keep 3G running for existing users, obtain government approval and then announce the final shutdown date. Until both regulatory approval and a termination announcement, the sign-up freeze is not a network shutdown.

The approval requirement is the principal timing constraint that KT disclosed. The company did not identify the approving authority, a regulatory deadline or a date for the end of service. It also supplied no migration target for the remaining customers, leaving open whether most will move to LTE or 5G before termination.

How does KT compare with SK Telecom?

KT is following rival SK Telecom (SKT), which stopped adding new 3G subscribers in August. For KT, that means ending 3G enrollment while directing users toward LTE or 5G. The source provides only SKT’s timing, so the two freezes should not be treated as identical customer programs.

KT’s own announcement provides more detail on legacy-device handling and financial incentives, including the device replacements, 24-month discounts and switch-away support. It does not establish whether SKT offers equivalent assistance or follows the same retirement schedule.

What comes next?

KT now faces a commercial migration task before the government approves the final termination date. Free hardware, two years of discounts and switch-away payments give customers several ways out, but the absence of an updated subscriber count, package terms and a regulatory timetable leaves the pace uncertain. The next material disclosures will be the approval status, final service-end date and terms that determine how quickly the remaining 3G base leaves the network.