Quota is over, South Korean residents can still use the internet even though it is slow

Smart phone. (Yonhap - via Kyodo News)

JAKARTA - Mobile phone users in South Korea will still be able to access basic data services, albeit at a lower speed, after their monthly quota is exhausted. This step is said to protect the public's right to continue to communicate, the Ministry of Science said on Thursday.

Quoted from Kyodo News, Thursday, April 9, the policy was announced by the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT on Thursday. The government partnered with the three largest operators, namely SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, to continue to provide basic data access to customers who have run out of high-speed data quotas.

The speed provided is far from luxurious, only 400 kilobits per second. Don't expect to be comfortable watching videos. However, the speed is still enough for basic needs, namely sending messages and opening the map application. The South Korean government seems to want to emphasize that basic communication access should not be exhausted just because the monthly quota has been breached.

The government is targeting the policy to be implemented before the end of June. According to a Kyodo News report, this new rule is expected to benefit 7.17 million users who currently do not have unlimited data plans. The savings are not small, reaching 322.1 billion won or about US$218.8 million per year.

In its statement, the ministry assessed that mobile data is now a basic need in the AI and digital era. Therefore, access to data for daily communication and basic information is considered necessary to be guaranteed.

Not stopping there, the government will also ask operators to increase the quota for phone calls and text messages for customers aged 65 and over who are still using limited service packages. This policy is expected to benefit around 1.4 million elderly people.