Internet phone subscribers top three million in S. Korea

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Internet-based phone service has
garnered over three million subscribers as of February, Internet telephony
operators said Monday.

The number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscribers now represents
about 12 percent of the total number of fixed-line phone users, according to data
gathered by 11 VoIP providers.
The largest number, or 1.32 million, subscribed to LG Dacom, which launched its
internet phone service "myLG070" in June 2007.
Samsung Networks, which dominates the corporate Internet phone market, came in
second with 400,000 subscribers, followed by top fixed-line operator KT with
390,000 subscribers.
Korea Cable Telecom (KCT) and SK Broadband attracted 300,000 and 270,000 users,
respectively.
Subscribers to traditional telephony services continued to decrease, as the
number of the subscribers to KT's public circuit-switched telephone networks
dropped 140,000 to 19.63 million in February. There was a decrease of 117,000
users in January, KT said.
Meanwhile, the Internet-based telephony service has continued to attract more
subscribers as it allows users to save up to 50 to 60 percent of existing call
charges
Market watchers predict the country's Internet-based telephony service market
will grow sharply as the country's telecommunication regulator mulls easing
regulations to make it easier for people to keep their existing phone number when
they switch to VoIP.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

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