Korea Post launched the sale of hand phones with no basic charges from Oct. 1 on the first anniversary of its successful Korea Post Expense Saving Hand Phones.
The zero fee rate system has no basic monthly charges and no fines violating the contract period. Those who used the hand phones over six month agreement period will have the admission fees waved also, making the system the lowest offline fee system in the country, Korea Post said.
The phones have been extremely popular amongst those in their 40s and 50s, attracting some 140,000 members in the first year of their sale. The new phones with no basic charges could also be popular amongst those in their 40s and 50s, whose phone usage is usually limited to receiving calls.
The new hand phone charges a lower per-second rate for conversation -- just 1.2 won per second. That’s much lower than the 1.8 won per second rate that is charged for general hand phone use. Over 100 minutes, that amounts to cost savings of 3,600 won.
Korea Post plans to introduce five kinds of low-priced hand phone products with fees that are more than 50 percent cheaper than rates of 3G and LTE smart phones. Korea Post hopes they appeal to young users of Smart Phones and guide them to use the new Korea Post hand phones. Korea Post recommends visiting its homepage to find out about the user fee system and expect monthly communication charges before coming to Korea Post.
Korea Post plans to expand not only the accessibility, but also the selection for consumers. It expanded the number of the post offices offering the hand phones by 24 across the country to 651 from Oct. 1. The number of hand phone was expanded by five to total 11 hand phones.
Kim Joon-ho, president of Korea Post, said their hand phones should able to help reduce household expenses and also spur the low-fee phone market.
Companies handling the low cost phones will award a phone and lense to 1,000 people, along with a discount on four different hand phones.
In the meantime -- Korea Post under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning -- issued four special stamps in commemoration of the 2014 ITU Conference. They have been available at post offices throughout the country since Oct. 1.
The stamps have the logo of the ITU conference, a picture of the ancient Bongsu-dae, which was used centuries ago to communicate over long distances, Jonnang on Jeju Island, which was used to express opinions by hanging thick timber across gates, and a photo of Gwangan Grand Bridge, which represents Busan, where the ITU event took place from Oct. 20 to Nov. 7.
The ITU conference is held every four years with ministerial level officials from 193 member nations attending to decide on global ICT policies. The event is called the Olympics of the ICT sector.
President Kim said he hopes the stamps publicize the ITU meeting as widely as they can.
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