These days, prices are skyrocketing, and an economic recession is expected by 2024. I am worried that our difficult household economy will become even more difficult. So, it is time to practice and make efforts to empty and reduce little by little. Among household fixed expenses, communication costs are a significant portion. Today, we will talk about the Altle Phone Hub site as a way to reduce the burden of communication costs.
Budget Phone Hub
index
1. What is a budget phone?
2. Communication expenses per citizen per month: 65,000 won
3. Budget phone hub
4. Conclusion
1. What is a budget phone?
First of all, you may be familiar with the term ‘affordable phone’ as you have heard of it many times. However, this is not the official name. Originally, it was a virtual mobile network operator (MVNO) (Byuljeong Telecommunications, hereinafter referred to as ‘affordable phone operator’). Budget phone operators borrow the network (frequency) of existing mobile communication network operators (MNOs) and create their own brands to provide mobile communication services to customers.
An economical phone business can register as a business with a capital of 300 million won, one telecommunications expert (technician, engineer, industrial engineer, craftsman), and one counselor. Because the barrier to entry is quite low, many businesses are participating and forming the market. As of May 2021, there are more than 60 businesses, and the number of subscribers exceeded 15 million in July 2023. It can be said that about 30% of the total population are budget phone users.
The profit structure of budget phone operators is to purchase large quantities of voice/text/data wholesale at low prices from existing mobile communication service providers and resell them to consumers. In the process, they make a profit by considering their operating expenses (marketing, sales, etc.). Budget phone operators do not have agencies for sales, and most consumers sign up through the Internet. So it saves distribution costs. By reducing costs in this way, we provide consumers with services that are up to half cheaper than existing mobile carrier rates.
2. Communication expenses per person per month: 65,000 won
If you look at the rate plans of Korea’s three major mobile carriers, most customers’ demand is unlimited data use, but you get the feeling that the costs are unnecessarily high by bundling unuseful additional services to use those plans. According to a survey by the Korea Consumer Agency last June, an online survey of 1,500 mobile communication subscribers in their 20s or older showed that the monthly communication cost per person was 60,000 won and 5,000 won. In general, they were satisfied with call quality, but satisfaction with rates was relatively low.
Budget Phone Hub
Source: Yonhap News, Korea Consumer
“Telecommunication costs per person per month are 65,000 won… KT ranks last in satisfaction” | yunhap news
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Seong-hoon = It was found that Korean citizens spend an average of more than 60,000 won per month on mobile communication charges.
www.yna.co.kr
Therefore, the use of budget phones, which can lower communication costs while maintaining call quality, is gaining popularity as an alternative. So what should I do to use an economical phone? Since there are many budget phone providers, you should look for a rate plan from a telecommunications carrier that operates the rate plan that is most suitable for you. This is a site called ‘Thrifty Phone Hub’.
3. Budget Phone Hub
Budget Phone Hub is a site where you can compare budget phone product information and rate plans for each carrier to decide which carrier is right for you. Anyone looking for a budget phone can find it useful. The Budget Phone Hub is a site created by the Ministry of Science and ICT through the Korea Information and Communication Promotion Association as part of the Budget Phone Promotion Policy.
Go to Budget Phone Hub
3-1. Budget Phone Hub Customized Rate Plan
Users can filter and search for a plan that suits them.
3-2. Budget phone hub mobile phone
Thrifty Phone Hub sells self-sufficient and used phones.
3-3. Budget Phone Hub Plans and Events
All registered rate plans and ongoing events for each budget phone carrier are gathered in one place.
3-4. Compare Budget Phone Hub plans
Now, let’s compare the rate plans of existing mobile carriers and budget phone operators through the Budget Phone Hub site. I am currently a SK Telecom user. I am currently using the 5GX Prime plan. The plan price is 89,000 won per month. I am paying 66,725 won per month through an optional contract.
Budget Phone Hub
Then, I will look up the rate plans of budget phone carriers on Budget Phone Hub under the same conditions as the plan I am using. For comparison, let’s compare businesses that rent frequencies from the three mobile carriers in order of lowest price.
Step1. Access the budget phone hub site homepage
Click ‘Customized Rate Plan’ in the top menu. I will search under the same conditions as the SK Telecom 5GX Prime plan I am currently using.
Budget Phone-Hub
Budget Phone Hub
Step2. Search after entering conditions
Applicable rate plans are provided for each budget phone carrier. You can filter by price / sales volume / latest. I’ve sorted them by lowest price.
Budget Phone-Hub
Budget Phone Hub
Search results show that there are flat rate plans without discounts, but there are also rate plans that collect regular rates after a certain amount of discount for the first 4 or 7 months to attract customers.
※Same conditions as SK Telecom 5GX Prime, 5g, data 50G or more (1 Mbps when exceeded), unlimited voice and text, no contract
Budget phone mobile carrier operator rate table
SK Telink Co., Ltd. 5G SIM 39,600 won
Code Mobile Co., Ltd. LG 5G SIM card 29,540 won (47,250 won after 7 months discount)
Code Mobile Co., Ltd. KT 5G SIM card 22,800 won (45,100 won after 4 months discount)
Since all three plans are contract-free, you can use a virtually unlimited data (unlimited voice, text) plan for around 20,000 won by moving to another carrier after using it for about 7 months and using it for a few more months at a discounted rate. (It may be a little inconvenient.) If you do not move frequently and use a rate plan in the low 30,000 won range, you can save 60% of your communication costs compared to the existing telecommunications company (67,000 won per month).
4. Conclusion
We learned about the budget phone hub above. This is a site where you can more easily find budget phone plans that help reduce communication costs by using rates that are close to 50% cheaper than existing mobile carrier plans. This is a useful site because it saves you a lot of effort and time when changing your rate plan. I think so. Try smartly reducing communication costs through Budget Phone Hub.