Privacy Concerns Prompt Carrier Switches, but Bundled Plan Subscribers Stay Put

Following the mobile carrier personal data breach incidents that occurred last year, people who were usually concerned about online privacy invasions were found to have actually left their existing carriers for alternative providers.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) released these findings on August 16 in a paper titled "Analysis of Mobile Subscriber Carrier Migration Trends and Influencing Factors," published in the latest issue of the academic journal Electronics and Telecommunications Trends.

Based on the Media Panel Study by the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), the research team analyzed whether 7,120 sample participants changed their mobile carriers and the reasons behind it.

The results showed that 2,516 of them, or approximately 35.34%, switched carriers between 2024 and 2025.

The analysis revealed that individuals who expressed greater concern over online personal data leaks and identity theft were more likely to have actually switched carriers.

This means that people who were more sensitive to online identity theft and excessive information requests were more prone to leaving their current carriers.

On the other hand, subscribers using "bundled packages"—which combine internet and IPTV services with mobile plans—were less likely to switch carriers.

The research team presumed that switching would be more burdensome for bundled product users because they would also need to transfer their internet and broadcasting services and pay penalty fees for losing accumulated service discounts.

Subscribers with unlimited voice call plans also showed a high rate of switching carriers, whereas having an unlimited data plan had no clear correlation with carrier movement.

The data showed that older individuals and those with lower education levels had higher rates of changing carriers.

Meanwhile, gender and income appeared to have no significant correlation with switching carriers.

The research team conducted the same analysis using data from 2024, a year without personal data breach incidents. At that time, only age and subscription to unlimited voice call plans were related to carrier movement, while the degree of concern over privacy infringement had no distinct bearing on carrier switches.

The research team suggested, "Unlike before, users' awareness of the importance of personal information protection has grown, and carriers' levels of privacy protection can have a significant impact on user carrier selection," adding, "Measures to protect subscribers' personal information must be established and continuously implemented to prevent recurrence."

(Photo provided by the Personal Information Protection Commission, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.