so here’s to the good ol’days ..
only telecommunication companies – a couple of cell phone carriers – could sell cell phones through their branch offices in South Korea . until Yesterday, and why only Wi-Fi versions of iPad, and NOT 3G were sold at Apple Premium ReSellers and Shops as well as department stores and super-marts .
from today though, you can buy’em even at Super-Marts .
one sticky point to this is that cell phone carriers offered discount on carrier subscription AND the device itself when you signed for over a year (this has been extended to two or even three, with the influx of smart phones) with Monthly payment installments,
and it can be quite a burden to pay a current popular smart phone going rate of W1,000,000 all at once -_-
to counter this KT is introducing a SIM-subscription plan, but with slight discount on Pre-Paid Plan, while Post-Paid can apply discounts only onto future cell phone purchases .
SK has no plans to offer any discount for cell phones bought else-where, and none of this applies to LGT for they don’t use 3G frequencies nor had SIM Cards – not THAT bad in terms of security, for someone who picked up or stole your cell phone cannot use it .
and as a protection measure against liberal use of unauthorized devices KAIT Korea Assiciation for ICT (information and Communication Technology) Promotion will manage a lost-or-stolen cell phone database at
http://www.checkimei.kr
where you can input your lost or stolen cell phone, as well as check when buying a used one .
add to this : from July, you can use a cell phone model not imported nor sold in South Korea, but brought from abroad simply by inserting your own SIM Card . one culprit to this was that you had to get your own Electro-Magnetic Signal Authorization which took
- a simple application form,
- almost W300,000 fee,
- and get authorization the next day,
( May 7th Update ) Subscription Discount Available for Cell Phones Even if You Don’t Purchase from Telecommunication Carriers .
Korea Communications Standards Commission which regulates cell phones, announced that they have conferred with SKT, KT and LGT so that these carriers will still offer 25%~35% Discount on their subsciption which is 2 Years ( ante up’d from a Year since the influx of smartphones )
Always Urging You to make a Firm Decision between the Old and NEW
– Korea Tech BLog, May 2012
