On the first day KT implemented a waiver of termination penalties, about 6,000 subscribers canceled their service, effectively cutting their losses, according to tallies.
According to the telecom industry on the 31st, a total of 5,886 KT subscribers moved to other carriers that day. Of them, 4,661 moved to SKT and 1,225 moved to LGU+.
This is roughly double the outflow compared with the previous day, when KT released the penalty waiver and customer compensation plan (2,985 across all networks including budget carriers), even though budget carriers are excluded.
The total number of ported numbers came to 13,201. That is twice the usual 6,000 to 7,000 cases per day.
Industry officials said demand to switch surged as KT's penalty waiver eased the burden of canceling, while an expansion of sales incentives (rebates) centered on distribution channels and intensified marketing competition overlapped.
This trend is expected to expand further on Jan. 1 next year and into the first weekend. Because activations tend to concentrate on holidays and weekends, the outflow could grow rapidly in a short period.
Meanwhile, KT held a press briefing the previous day and said it would waive termination penalties by refund for customers who wish to cancel their mobile service contracts through Jan. 13 next year. It will be applied retroactively to customers who already canceled starting on Sept. 1.