The three major telecommunications companies have announced that they will offer a common subsidy of up to 450,000 KRW for the iPhone 17 series. As Apple prepares to release the new iPhone 17 series soon, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus have pre-announced the subsidies on their respective websites. The final subsidy amounts will be confirmed on the release date, which is set for the 19th.
The telecom companies have set different subsidies for the iPhone 17, Pro Max, and Pro Air models according to each rate plan. All three companies have agreed to provide a maximum subsidy of 450,000 KRW for the Pro and Air models. Including additional subsidies, the total subsidy amount goes up to 517,500 KRW across all three companies.
Although the mandatory mobile device distribution law that capped additional subsidies at 15% of the disclosed subsidy has been repealed, all three companies have set the additional subsidy at 67,500 KRW, which is 15%.
For the iPhone 17 and Pro Max, SK Telecom has announced a maximum common subsidy of 260,000 KRW, KT 250,000 KRW, and LG Uplus 230,000 KRW. When additional subsidies are included, the amounts are 299,000 KRW, 287,500 KRW, and 264,500 KRW, respectively.
The telecom companies will finalize the common and additional subsidies on the release day. The final price consumers will pay for the device depends on any additional support provided by retail outlets. Typically, switching carriers or selecting high-cost plans results in receiving more subsidies.
Even after the repeal of the distribution law, there was a period of relative quiet without significant subsidy battles. However, the release of the new iPhone may reignite competition, according to industry forecasts. Nonetheless, some predict the impact will be limited compared to the past. An industry insider commented that the market seems stable without excessive price competition and pointed out that recent security incidents have made aggressive marketing strategies more cautious.