The government is moving to overhaul mobile plans by touting a “data peace-of-mind option (QoS)”, but reaction on the ground has been chilly. Critics say the measures have low effectiveness, contrary to the policy aim of easing the burden of telecoms bills.

The Ministry of Science and ICT recently announced at a ministers’ task force meeting on special management of people’s living costs that it would include QoS guaranteeing unlimited data at 400 Kbps in all LTE and 5G data plans in the first half of this year and launch 5G plans in the 20,000-won range. The ministry expects about 7.17 million users to benefit and estimates annual telecoms-bill savings of 322.1 billion won.

The core of the policy is to guarantee a “basic right to communications”. It aims to let users access minimum digital services even after data allowances are used up. The ministry says users can keep using data at a set speed without extra charges, bringing savings on telecoms bills.

But user reaction has been lukewarm. The key issue is the QoS speed of 400 Kbps. Text-based messaging and simple web searches may be possible, but using video streaming or image-heavy services is restricted.

Critics also say the perceived benefit is limited when a large share of mobile data consumption is concentrated on video content. A December report on 2025 smartphone and PC viewing behaviour by the Broadcasting and Communications Commission showed that the monthly average time spent watching videos on smartphones was about 2,415 minutes. With people consuming more than 1 hour and 20 minutes of video a day on average, some assessments say 400 Kbps does not reflect actual data-use patterns.

Civic groups have continued to raise concerns that the policy does not take usage patterns into account. The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said QoS should guarantee a minimum speed of 1 Mbps to ensure the basic right to communications. It argues 400 Kbps is a level at which not only videos but even sending photos is not smooth, leaving the policy as mere “window dressing”.

The 5G plans in the 20,000-won range are also not free from debate over effectiveness. Even compared with the 30,000-won-range plans currently offered by the three major carriers, the data allowance is smaller, hurting competitiveness. When announcing the policy, the ministry cited an example LTE and 5G combined plan priced at 27,830 won per month and presented a basic data allowance of 250 MB.

Another variable is the budget telecoms market. Some budget operators already offer unlimited data based on QoS in plans in the 20,000-won range. Some warn the policy could strengthen the low-cost plan competitiveness of the three major carriers and encroach on the budget telecoms market. An industry official said, “The government has led telecoms-bill cuts through budget carriers,” adding, “It will be hard to avoid criticism that it clashes with policies to foster budget carriers.”

There are also calls to lower the nominal fee itself. Some observers say carriers have enough room to cut prices, especially as 5G equipment investment has also entered a declining trend. Joo-ho Kim (김주호), head of the livelihoods economy team at the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said, “The nominal fee itself should be lowered for plans that many subscribers use,” and stressed that “an overall cut in 5G plans is needed.”

The ministry says it focused on guaranteeing the basic right to communications, as the policy title suggests. A ministry official said the measure aims to allow people to use basic services such as searching or checking navigation in emergencies, adding that 400 Kbps is not fast but is a minimum level that can meet the policy purpose.

On the 5G plans in the 20,000-won range, the official said the ministry is discussing the matter as much as possible so that there will be no price increases in existing plans, adding that it is difficult to disclose a detailed pricing structure because the terms have not yet been filed.