Over four days from Dec. 31 last year to Jan. 3, the cumulative number of customers leaving KT is estimated to have exceeded 50,000.
According to the telecommunications industry on Saturday, 52,661 customers left KT from Dec. 31 last year, when KT began waiving cancellation fees, through Jan. 3.
Of all customers leaving KT, 71 percent moved to SK Telecom among the three mobile carriers. Including budget operators, 65 percent of customers leaving KT chose SK Telecom.
On Jan. 3, the first weekend after the waiver began, there were 21,027 cases of customers leaving KT. It was the first time daily departures exceeded 20,000 since the waiver started. Of these, 13,616 moved to SK Telecom, 5,467 to LG Uplus and 1,944 to budget operators.
The industry said some so-called hot-spot retailers are selling the latest model, the iPhone 17 Pro, for 480,000 won as KT outflows emerge, raising concerns about market overheating.
Jin-ho Lee
jhlee26@d-today.co.kr