South Korea's telecommunications industry is introducing measures to reduce communications costs for personnel dispatched to help restore damage from recent large-scale flooding in Nepal.

According to the industry on Sept. 14, South Korea's three mobile carriers, including SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, will fully waive roaming charges used locally by dispatched personnel such as emergency relief teams, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and medical staff heading to Nepal disaster sites for rescue and recovery work.

They also decided to cut by 50 percent international call charges for calls made from South Korea to Nepal numbers for South Korea residents who need to contact people in Nepal. Participants in the international call discount include KT (001), LG Uplus (002), SK Broadband (005), SK Telink (00700) and Sejong Networks (008).

The discount period runs from Aug. 21 to Sept. 20 and will be flexibly adjusted depending on local conditions.

An industry official said maintaining smooth communications infrastructure and contact systems is essential in a national disaster situation. The official said the industry's solidarity and support should help speed stabilisation in flood-hit areas of Nepal and provide practical help for relief efforts for displaced people.