The ICT Ministry of South Korea has approved SK Telecom’s request to end its 2G service, putting an end to the 25-year-old service that helped the country take the lead in the mobile phone industry.

The ministry held a media briefing in Seoul on Friday, saying it had approved the termination of the 2G service, citing outdated servers and mechanical failures due to the lack of up-to-date equipment.

Upon receiving the approval, SK Telecom said it would wrap up the service starting July 6. Some 384,000 people still using SKT’s 2G network will need to change their service plans. They will, however, be allowed to keep their numbers starting with 011 and 017 for a year, until the radio frequency for the 2G network expires in June 2021.

The government said it had carried out four on-site inspections of SKT’s local 2G network centers since the company filed its request to end the service in November last year.

“The ministry has found that there has been an increase of around 130 percent in mechanical failures at that telecommunications firm’s 2G network centers. The ministry has also confirmed that it would be difficult for the company to secure equipment parts to repair network servers in the future as many parts manufacturers no longer produce them or have gone bankrupt as of now,” said Lee Tai-hee, deputy minister for the Office of Network Policy.

Samsung Electronics, the main provider of 2G equipment to Korean telecommunications firms, stopped producing the equipment in 2005.

During the review process, SKT agreed to provide financial support to existing 2G network users, who must now upgrade their data service plans and purchase new cellphones, the ICT Ministry said.

The ministry will make sure SK Telecom follows the procedures that are in place to protect users who have to switch service plans, the deputy minister added.

LG Uplus is now the last telco to continue operating a 2G network here. KT ended its 2G network service in 2011. The ICT Ministry said there have not been any requests from LG Uplus.

SK Telecom was the first Korean telecommunications firm to start a 2G network here in 1996. The government-industry-driven investment and commercialization of the CDMA-based 2G network helped the nation take the lead in the market, the ministry commented.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)