LG U+ has made a feat of achieving a net increase for the eighth straight month over its rival telecom service providers in the mobile phone number portability and carrier switching market. 

KT, competing with LG U+  over the number two position in the G4 LTE (long-term evolution) service market, has seen its subscribers drop for the seventh consecutive month.

Figures made available by the Korea Telecommunications Operators’ Association (KTOA) showed that LG U+ saw the total number of mobile phone users who have so far opted to switch over from rival telecom service providers rise to 726,194 in September. The figure is a small increase from 719,276 in August, but it indicates signs of a cooling-off period, compared to its hovering over a range of 800,000 monthly during the period between May and July. Despite their massive pitches over LTE and LTE-A services, analysts said, the mobile phone number portability and switching market has suffered a setback due to authorities’ stern crackdowns on excessive mobile phone switching subsidies.

LG U+ has become the sole company among the three major mobile telecommunications carriers to post net growth for the seventh straight month. The company attracted 30,994 subscribers from SK Telecom and 24,657 mobile users from KT to chalk up a net rise of 47,379 customers during last month, even if a drain into network-renting carriers for “altteul” cheaper priced phones is factored in.  

SK Telecom saw their subscription base decline by 36,423 even after Korea’s largest telecom provider attracted 15,385 subscribers from KT, but gave up roughly 30,000 and 20,000 customers to LG U+ and altteul phone carriers, respectively. 

LG U+ Vice Chairman and CEO Lee Sang-chul

KT suffered the biggest setback with a drain of 55,173 subscribers. The company saw its subscription base dwindle for the seventh straight month except January and February when it was ordered to halt recruiting new subcribers. 

KT has become the first Korean telecom provider to usher in an era of broadband long-term evolution-advance (LTE-A). But the effect has yet to pay off.

 LG U+ is enjoying popularity, brought on by its efforts to become the first Korean telecom provider to build an LTE network covering all parts of the nation.   

“Perfect LTE” Service Provider Based on World’s Best LTE Network

LG U+ Vice Chairman and CEO Lee Sang-chul has declared the era of full-fledged LTE life in which clientele can communicate their emotions with each other via mobile networks at any time and at any place by maximizing real-time sharing and multi-tasking based on full high-definition, high-quality services. 

At the behest of Vice Chairman Lee, LG U+ allows its subscribers to be offered with “100 percent LTE services without an additional burden to the existing charges.” 

LG U+ has optimized network quality services on top of its continued development of equipment since the completion of its LTE network covering all parts of the nation. The company is set to launch a new conception of services that will likely change the way clients enjoy their daily life, rather than being satisfied with the commercialization of its networks.