LG Uplus will sequentially implement automatic SIM and eSIM updates from Oct. 22 to protect customer information. Customers can receive the security enhancements without applying separately or visiting a store.

LG Uplus said on Oct. 21 it brought forward the launch of automatic SIM updates by about a month from the original schedule in November.

LG Uplus has introduced a new security system since April by applying random numbers to the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) framework and has been carrying out SIM updates and free replacements. As of Oct. 20, a cumulative total of about 6,589,000 people, or 38.4 percent, had completed an update or replacement.

The automatic update targets customers who have not yet updated or replaced their SIMs and whose devices are eligible for automatic updates. It includes individual and corporate customers as well as budget-phone service users. Customers staying overseas are excluded because they cannot use domestic telecom networks.

Automatic updates will be carried out on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. LG Uplus will notify customers individually at least three times via text messages and KakaoTalk alerts, including 2 weeks, 1 week and 1 day before the scheduled update date. Advance notices began on Oct. 8.

Customers who do not want an automatic update or cannot proceed on the scheduled date can request a postponement. If they apply through the notification message, the U+one app, the website or the SIM consultation center, the update schedule is postponed until the end of the year. A postponement request can be cancelled at any time.

Existing options for direct SIM updates and free replacements will continue. Customers not eligible for automatic updates, including those using smartwatches, some tablets and older SIMs, can visit stores to get a free SIM replacement.

LG Uplus will operate a 24-hour free SIM consultation center and a KakaoTalk consultation channel to minimise customer inconvenience during the update process. It will set up dedicated corners at 1,709 stores nationwide and also run a company-wide customer care situation room. It also plans to operate visiting services, including temporary hub stores, parcel delivery and mobile stores, for customers in remote island and mountainous areas or those who have difficulty visiting stores.

Lee Sang-yeop (이상엽), LG Uplus chief technology officer and executive director, said the automatic update expands the pre-emptive security strengthening measures pursued since April so customers can apply them without a separate application procedure. He said the company would operate a dense customer support system to help more customers apply the security enhancements without inconvenience.