SK Telecom Expands Mobile Senior Service, Rolling Out Nationwide After Hacking Incident

SK Telecom (SKT) is expanding its “visiting service” initiative this year, a move the company describes as part of a broader shift to customer-centric management and stronger security after last year’s major hacking incident. In January and February, the program visited six counties, tallying 187 visits, 1,060 hours on the road, and about 24,876 kilometers traveled. The plan calls for extending the program to 71 counties nationwide where the elderly population accounts for more than 30%.

The visits are designed to function as a mobile customer service center, offering training for mobile phone use to those who are digitally marginalized, as well as telecommunications and AI consultations, device servicing, and screen-protector replacements. SKT says the service will be available to all seniors, not just SKT customers, with on-site staff conducting hands-on support and guidance.

In the pilot phase, SKT reached six counties, including Jinan County in North Jeolla Province and Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province. The company says the response was positive, prompting the expansion plan to the much larger nationwide roll-out. Executives, including CEO Jeong Jae-heon, are expected to visit field sites 3 to 4 times this year to strengthen direct customer engagement.

A newly formed CX (Customer Experience) organization under SKT’s Customer Value Innovation division will continue to gather and analyze customer needs through multiple channels and translate them into product and service improvements. The team focuses on diverse customer groups, including long-time users over 40 years, the 2040 generation, and adolescents, to tailor trust-building initiatives.

SKT also highlighted its security enhancements tied to its AIDOT AI assistant. A new “Risk Voice Detection” feature analyzes voice characteristics to identify potential voice phishing attempts, supplementing content analysis with voiceprint data to improve scam detection. The company says a task force led by the Chief Privacy Officer was established to oversee data protection and the secure development of this function.

The announcements come after SKT’s admission at last year’s Mobile World Congress that it faced a crisis of losing leadership in its market, prompting a pledge to return to fundamentals centered on customers. The company has since launched initiatives such as a one-to-one AI agent program and a 100-customer advisory panel, in addition to the on-the-ground outreach program and enhanced call security features.

For U.S. readers, the moves illuminate how a major Asian telecom is attempting to rebuild trust and differentiate itself through direct, local engagement and advanced security. The approach underscores ongoing global concerns around privacy, AI-enabled customer service, and anti-fraud technology as U.S. operators confront similar pressures to protect user data while maintaining a frictionless, trustworthy customer experience. It also reflects broader industry trends toward integrating AI into everyday telecom services and expanding digital inclusion for older and digitally underserved populations.