SKTelecom(017670)[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a free value-added service that blocks roaming connections in countries where customers do not wish to roam. When a mobile phone connects to a local network while abroad, the service checks whether the country is on the list of permitted roaming destinations and blocks the connection if it is not.

SKT announced on the 22nd that it has launched “T Roaming Safe Countries.” The service is available in two modes—automatic and manual—allowing customers to either specify the countries where they wish to use roaming or use the service without any separate settings.

For example, if a customer designates Japan—a country close to South Korea—as an allowed roaming destination, they can use roaming in Japan, but the connection will be blocked in other countries not on the list. This service is designed to reduce the risk of incurring charges from unintended connections to foreign networks or the possibility of unauthorized roaming use.

“Automatic Mode,” Which Eliminates the Need to Set Destination Countries Each Time

With Automatic Mode, customers do not need to manually register their destination country every time they travel or go on a business trip abroad. When a customer attempts to connect to an overseas network, KTCorporation verifies whether the usage is consistent with a normal departure by analyzing factors such as whether the customer visited the airport before departure and their overseas network access history. If the usage is deemed normal, the roaming connection is established.

This is suitable for customers who visit multiple countries or whose destinations vary with each business trip or vacation.

“Manual Mode”: Selecting Countries Yourself

Manual Mode allows customers to

select the countries where they wish to use

roaming in advance. Roaming is enabled only in the designated countries; if no countries are registered, international roaming is blocked.

This is useful for customers who repeatedly visit specific countries or wish to manage their roaming coverage directly.

SKT has been detecting and blocking abnormal activity in real time, both domestically and internationally, through its Fraud Detection System (FDS). This new service adds the ability for customers to directly set their roaming coverage by country to the existing security framework.

SKT explained that it is the first mobile carrier in Korea to launch a service that verifies whether roaming is permitted in each country at the stage of connecting to an overseas network and restricts connections accordingly.

Customers can sign up for the service via the T World website and app, or by contacting the T Roaming Customer Center (02-6343-9000).

Yoon Jae-woong, Head of SKT’s Product & Brand Division, said, “We have launched ‘T Roaming Safe Countries,’ which allows customers to preemptively filter out unwanted roaming usage,” adding, “We will continue to expand our customer-centric safety services.”