KT, which the government orders to waive penalties for all customers over unauthorized micro-payment charges and a hacking incident, is reportedly reviewing a plan to waive penalties when customers wish to cancel their subscriptions. People pass by a KT store in Seoul on the 30th./Courtesy of Yonhap News

Subscriber defections surged from the first day after KT decided to temporarily waive early termination fees.

According to telecom industry data on the 1st, on the first day the waiver took effect (on the 31st), 10,142 subscribers left KT's network, including users of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

Among those who left, 5,784 moved to SK Telecom and 1,880 switched to LG Uplus. A total of 2,478 moved to MVNO providers.

Excluding MVNOs and looking only at number portability among the three mobile carriers, 5,886 subscribers left KT the same day, with 4,661 moving to SK Telecom and 1,225 to LG Uplus.

Across the market, overall number portability also jumped. Total number transfers, including MVNOs, reached 35,595, more than double the usual daily average of around 15,000.

Earlier, at a press briefing on the 30th, KT said it would waive early termination fees in the form of refunds for customers who want to cancel their mobile contracts through Jan. 13. It will be applied retroactively to customers who already canceled on or after Sept. 1 last year.

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