SK Telecom extends T Roaming data promotion through year-end, offering up to 16GB

SK Telecom is extending its roaming data bonus through year-end for customers planning overseas travel during the Chuseok holiday and the year-end season.

The company announced Tuesday it is extending its "T Roaming Data Add-on" promotion — originally scheduled to run through last month — through Dec. 31.

SK Telecom has run the promotion since April 23, offering up to 16GB of additional data to subscribers of its baro roaming service plans. Even after exhausting their data allowance, customers can continue using data at speeds of up to 1 Mbps.

Since the promotion launched, the share of customers choosing the "baro 8GB" plan or higher — the tiers eligible for the data bonus — has risen by about 15 percentage points. Cumulative family roaming customers have surpassed 5.05 million.

SK Telecom said it decided to extend the promotion through year-end as uptake of high-capacity data plans and family roaming services increased following the promotion's launch.

In SK Telecom's own customer satisfaction survey, ease of sign-up and use, the ability to manually select a local carrier, and pricing were cited as the top factors driving satisfaction. Customers also gave high marks to the ability to use roaming immediately upon arrival without purchasing or installing a separate SIM card, and to keeping their existing domestic phone number while abroad.

T Roaming operates through direct agreements with more than 500 overseas carriers across 195 countries. Users can manually select or switch to a carrier with better local network conditions.

The family roaming service allows up to five family members to share data for an additional 3,000 won per plan. According to SK Telecom, this brings the per-person cost down to around 6,000 won. Since its 2023 launch, the service has grown steadily, with 78 percent of T Roaming households now opting for family roaming.

Customers aged 34 and under receive an additional 1GB of data. Those on the "0 Youth" plan or the Best or Light plans can receive a 50 percent discount on roaming plan prices.

Baro voice calls and text messages are also available free of charge. According to SK Telecom, more than 70 percent of roaming plan subscribers use the baro calling feature, with an average of about 40 minutes of calls per person.

"We received stronger support than expected from T Roaming customers during the summer vacation season, and that led us to extend the promotion so customers planning Chuseok and year-end trips can also enjoy the benefits," said Yoon Jae-woong, head of SK Telecom's Product & Brand division. "We will continue to do our best to ensure customers can use telecommunications services abroad in the most convenient and reliable way possible."

Meanwhile, SK Telecom is also running a "Global Travel" promotion this month through its T Membership program, targeting travelers to Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The promotion offers discounts at local restaurants, shops and transportation through Sept. 30, with some benefits available exclusively to baro plan roaming customers.