South Korea’s telecom watchdog is expected to slap mobile carriers with another business suspension in May, industry sources said Monday, as part of the government’s drive to eradicate the custom of using subsidies to increase clients.

The Korea Communications Commission, Seoul’s top telecom watchdog, is expected to announce its disciplinary measures against the mobile carriers on Thursday, the sources said. The measures are to follow last week’s 45-day business suspension handed down by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning that handles the country’s telecommunication policies.

South Korea has three mobile carriers, with SK Telecom Co. accounting for more than half of the market, followed by No. 2 KT Corp and LG Uplus Corp. They have been repeatedly penalized for giving out subsidies to attract customers away from their rivals. (Yonhap)