The previously quiet mobile number porting market has become active again. SK Telecom and LG Uplus posted net subscriber gains, while KT recorded a net loss of more than 12,000 as departures surged. The effect of Samsung Electronics' launch of new Galaxy Z models appears to have been reflected in the market.

Data from the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) showed the number of mobile subscribers who switched carriers in August was 680,346, up 44,985, or 7.1 percent, from the previous month. It was also up 35,728, or 5.5 percent, from the same month a year earlier.

The launch last month of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 appears to have lifted handset replacement demand centered on new smartphones. By operator, LG Uplus posted a net gain of 10,101 subscribers, the biggest increase among the three carriers. SKT added a net 1,386. KT posted a net loss of 12,867. That was more than triple the net loss of 3,586 in July.

Incoming number-porting subscribers were tallied at 139,564 for SKT, 96,175 for KT and 112,652 for LG Uplus. In particular, the number of subscribers moving from KT to LG Uplus was 31,258, up 6,502, or 26.3 percent, from the previous month.

Subscribers switching to budget carriers (MVNOs) totaled 331,955, up 8,010, or 2.5 percent, from the previous month. MVNO subscriptions posted a net gain of 1,380 overall, ending two months of net losses.

The industry analyzes last month's trends as being driven by the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, which boosted handset replacement demand centered on new smartphones. This month, Apple is set to release the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone, and competition among carriers to attract subscribers is expected to intensify.