KT fined 165 million won for delaying mobile service activation for Galaxy Note 20 smartphones

KT Corp. has been fined 165 million won by South Korea's telecommunications regulator for delaying activation of its mobile network services for Galaxy Note 20 smartphones for up to six days without proper cause.

The delay from August 7 to 13 last year affected nearly 19,465 users who had preordered Note 20 smartphones, who accounted for 26.7 percent of KT's total 72,840 preorders.

The Korea Communications Commission said KT violated local telecommunications laws by delaying network activation.

The incentives for Note 20 smartphones sales were lower than for other smartphones, leading KT's retail store workers to allegedly delay the network activation to prioritize opening network services for other phones.

The KT headquarters also delayed service activations to prevent a system overload due to the device's popularity, which the commission said was not a justification for its actions.

The commission also ordered KT to improve its services, such as user notifications.