SK Telecom (SKT) followed South Korean rivals in cutting tariffs, introducing online-only mobile price plans offering 5G and LTE customers about a 30 per cent discount on existing fees.

Six contract-free tariffs are set to be launched on 15 January: in a statement, SKT explained the move is a response to consumers’ preference for non-face-to-face channels, enabling it to reduce distribution and marketing expenses, and pass the savings to customers.

Han Myung-jin, head of SKT’s marketing group, said the operator will focus on introducing “diverse types of new mobile plans to meet customers’ needs and social trends”.

Branded as Untact, 5G tariffs start at KRW38,000 ($34.63) per month for 9GB of data through to KRW62,000 for unlimited data. LTE plans range from KRW22,000 for 1.8GB of data per month to KRW48,000 for 100GB.

SKT said new and existing customers switching devices can sign up for the plans on its official online portal T Direct Shop.

Rival LG Uplus unveiled lower-cost 5G data plans last week, while KT brought a 5GB plan to market in December 2020 priced KRW45,000.

The operators have cut tariffs to accelerate adoption of 5G services, which they launched in April 2019.