KT M Mobile said on Tuesday it became the first budget mobile provider in South Korea to reach 1.9 million subscribers.

KT M Mobile added more than 200,000 subscribers in about a year after recording 1.7 million subscribers in December 2024. Strengthening benefits that customers can feel in daily life was effective, the company said.

KT M Mobile has continued to expand partnered plans that offer benefits across daily-life areas such as beauty, shopping and content subscriptions. It also strengthened customer-only benefits such as "M Shopping Discount," which offers additional telecom bill discounts on top of shopping discounts.

Convenience has also improved from sign-up through overall use. With non-face-to-face self-activation online and AI automatic activation, customers can activate service quickly and easily without visiting a store or waiting. During use, AI support provides a self-care environment that lets customers handle tasks such as bill payment, usage checks and plan changes without connecting to an agent.

KT M Mobile is running a thank-you event for all customers. Any KT M Mobile customer can enter through its direct mall until Jan. 31. A total of 190 winners will be selected to receive prizes including an LG StanbyME and a Nintendo Switch. All participating customers will receive a coupon for "mobi" eSIM data roaming that can be used in about 70 countries.

KT M Mobile CEO Kang-bon Koo said it was meaningful that efforts focused on benefits and convenience customers can feel led to many customers choosing the company. He said it would continue to present new standards for budget phone services and lead the market with customer-first value at the centre.