Mikron H1 2026 Sales Fall 5.9% as Automation Weakness Weighs on Profit 
TSMC Sees Multi-Year AI Chip Demand as Arizona Expansion Reaches $265 Billion 
Ryanair Warns Summer Airfares May Stay Lower as Quarterly Profit Misses Estimates 
Trump Criticizes ABC, NBC and CNN for Limiting Coverage of Election Speech 
Sam Altman Admits OpenAI Missteps, Promises Major AI Comeback Focused on User Freedom 
Lockheed Martin Unveils Lower-Cost Patriot ACE Interceptor to Meet Rising Air Defense Demand 
PayPal Rejects $53 Billion Stripe-Advent Takeover Offer as Too Low: Report 
KKR, AEW Seek China Property Sales as Commercial Real Estate Slump Deepens 
Foxconn Wins First SpaceX AI Server Contract Worth Estimated $52 Billion 
Volvo Cars Q2 Profit Falls as Automaker Bets on EX60 EV to Drive Recovery 
Samsung Biologics Launches $1.81 Billion Bid to Acquire PolyPeptide 
Netflix Stock Drops After Weak Q3 Outlook Overshadows Mixed Q2 Earnings 
SpaceX Aborts Starship Test Flight as Engine Issue Delays Launch 
GameStop Raises eBay Stake to 9.8% as Ryan Cohen Pushes $56 Billion Takeover Bid 
South Korea’s Coupang Fine Sparks U.S. Criticism, Raising Concerns Over Bilateral Ties 
SpaceX Targets Thursday Launch for Starship's 13th Test Flight After Last-Minute Delay 
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) fined SK Telecom, KT Corporation, and LG Uplus on Thursday, Jan. 25. The commission said the local telecom firms were penalized for unfair business practices centered on rental price fixing.
Rent Price Fixing Allegation
The leading mobile carriers in the country allegedly colluded to reduce rental fees for facilities and locations that hold their respective equipment. According to The Korea Times, the FTC slapped SK Telecom, KT Corporation, and LG Uplus with a KRW20 billion fine of around $15 million in US dollars.
In addition to the hefty fine, the competition regulator ordered the three firms to amend and correct their improper business method of lowering rental costs, a practice the FTC said continued for six years - from 2013 to 2019.
The agency said that based on its investigation, it was discovered that the telecom companies formed a joint response team amid the increasing rental fees for facilities at that time. The firm-owned equipment was installed on these sites after the fourth-generation (4G) mobile service was activated nationwide.
Effect of the Collusion
The team focused on trimming down rental fees, especially at apartment rooftops where telegraph repeaters were put up. SK Telecom, LG Uplus, and KT Corp. paid the necessary fees for using private spaces but are said to have conspired to set fixed rental prices. The regulator said that this unfair act caused financial losses to tenants.
Yonhap News Agency reported that through the unfair practice, the mobile carriers could secure cheaper rental contracts that only cost them an average annual rental fee of just KRW4.64 million, previously priced at KRW5.58 million.
"The practice had directly caused harm to residents of apartments and those concerned, and hampered competition to enhance service quality," an official of the FTC stated.
Photo by: KT Corp. Website
