Targeting the growing number of foreign residents in Korea, wireless carrier SK Telecom launched a new mobile plan for foreigners Thursday.
SKT’s new mobile scheme, dubbed the Band Data Global Pack, allows foreign subscribers to make unlimited domestic calls to both mobile and landline phones as well as free international calls -- for either 150 minutes or 400 minutes -- with mobile apps for international calling, including SK Freecall, OTO and NINHAO.
An SK Telecom employee and a foreign customer pose at a shop in Seoul on Thursday. (SKT)
The Band Data Global Pack comes in eight tiers, with base prices starting from 32,900 won ($28) to 103,000 won. The amounts of data, the durations of free international calls and other benefits vary based on the basic monthly fees.
Around 1.7 million foreign residents lived in Korea as of January, up 11 percent from the previous year, with the foreign population growing an average of 14.4 percent a year, according to a government report.
“We have been trying to offer more benefits for foreign residents here by releasing tailored wireless plans and running mobile stores that provide necessary support for them,” said Lim Bong-ho, a senior vice president of the mobile carrier with 28.5 million subscribers, or 49.5 percent of all mobile subscribers in Korea.
The company also announced it would run 51 mobile stores nationwide to help foreign residents register for its wireless services while trying to ease regulations that have hampered foreigners from subscribing to more than one mobile network service.
Most foreigners are limited to having one mobile subscription.
New residents can now sign up for SKT’s mobile subscription on the day of their arrival to Korea, as the government has shortened the identification process for foreigners.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
An SK Telecom employee and a foreign customer pose at a shop in Seoul on Thursday. SKT
