• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1893-1900
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• 2015

The government has the responsibility to prevent abuses of monopoly and promote competition in order to maximize consumer welfare. The government should address the asymmetry in the information as much as possible and ensure consumer choice. The subsidy seems to reduce the burden on the consumer service charges and handset prices but it actually distorts the market through price discrimination. The government caused the principal-agent problem by neglecting their appropriate role to prevent distortion of the mobile telecom market. The money used as subsidy is part of excess profit and could be transferred to down the price of mobile phone and charges and it would become a benefit to consumers. Separate announcement of subsidies by Mobile Communications Terminal Distribution Structure Improvement Act is a little developed policy but it was not actually realized. The market price close to that from perfect competition structure is plausible, ultimately.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.493-499
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• 2015

In Korea mobile phone subscribers exceeded 1 million people in 1995, and ten million people in 1998. Prevalence of the mobile phone increased dramatically over 110% compared to the population. Almost every family members including children uses more than one mobile terminal. Mobile phone is obviously more necessary good than washer, vacuum cleaner and passenger car. Our daily life are conveniently positioned with mobile communication, but communication related costs including the price of the device and service charges become a big burden on the household. But the government does not seem to do the right role at the right time to prevent the market failure to maximize consumer welfare and social welfare through supporting fair competition. This principal-agent problem issues of mobile communication policies will be understood in perspective of public choice against joint use of the mobile communication network, number portability, separation of phone distribution and phone service, network neutrality, mobile phone subsidy since the early 1990s when mobile phone service was introduced in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.933-936
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• 2014

The government has the duty to prevent abuses of monopoly and promote competition in order to maximize consumer welfare. In order to promote competition we have to address the asymmetry in the information as possible and to ensure consumer choice. The subsidy seems to reduce the burden on the consumer service charges and handset prices but it virtually distort the market through price discrimination. The government caused the principal-agent problem by avoiding their appropriate role to prevent distortion of the mobile telecom market. The money used as subsidy could be transferred to down the price of cell phone and charges and it would be a benefit to consumers. Separate notice of subsidies by Mobile Communications Terminal Distribution Structure Improvement Act is a developed policy but it was too late. It, the market price close to that from perfect competition structure, is plausible, ultimately.