Ms. A, a woman in her 60s who was trying to change her telecom payment information, was taken aback when she accessed the mobile carrier customer center’s “visual ARS.” Because various options appeared on the phone screen, such as “Most Frequently Asked Questions,” “Bill Payment,” and “Mobile Payment.” Mr. A had to look up himself which category his complaint fell under. In the end, Mr. A gave up on resolving the complaint.
Ms. B, a woman in her 70s, went to a store to activate a mobile phone but repeatedly failed the facial recognition process. This was because the facial recognition system failed to properly recognize it due to the difference between the old ID photo and the current face. Mr. B didn’t even know how to issue a mobile ID card, which is an alternative measure. In the end, I had to obtain a separate resident registration abstract.
Mr. C, a man in his 50s, had been handling phone activation services on behalf of his father, who had difficulty moving. However, the situation changed with the recent implementation of facial recognition systems. They instructed that customers must visit the retail store in person. Mr. C ultimately had to bring his father to the burial site himself.
Mobile communication tasks that were once handled manually by people at retail stores or customer centers are rapidly being transformed into digital and AI-based systems. New technologies such as AI agents and facial recognition have been introduced as means to improve the efficiency and security of telecommunications services. However, there are concerns that it is becoming a new barrier for older adults who are not accustomed to using digital devices.
According to industry sources on the 22nd, the three major mobile carriers are accelerating the transition to AI-powered customer service.
A representative area is the AI Customer Service Center (AICC). SK Telecom operates a 24-hour customer support service using AI chatbots and callbots. KT handles simple customer service tasks using AI voice bots and chatbots. LG Uplus has introduced an agentic AI consultation bot.
As telecom companies accelerate the transition of their customer centers to AI, methods are also spreading where users either select consultation options directly on the screen or speak with an AI agent. However, for older adults who are not familiar with digital services, the traditional method of speaking directly with a human counselor is more familiar.
Mr. A pointed out, “I call customer service to get help, but there are too many options to choose from,” adding, “What I want is to be connected to a regular representative.”
In fact, a survey conducted by the Korea Federation of Trade Unions Central Research Institute among 706 AICC users found that 54.2% of respondents were dissatisfied with AICC. The percentage of respondents who preferred human counselors over AI reached 87.5%.
The inconveniences experienced by the elderly do not end with the customer service center. Even during the process of activating mobile phones, inconveniences related to digital transformation are emerging. A prime example is facial recognition, which was introduced recently to prevent illegal phone activations and the distribution of burner phones.
As identity verification procedures have been tightened, the burden on some elderly people, who had been handling communication tasks with the help of their families, has also increased. This is because even elderly people must go through the strengthened identity verification process themselves to activate a mobile phone. At mobile phone distribution sites, there are also cases of elderly customers who are having difficulty with facial recognition because their old ID photos no longer match their current faces.
Mr. B said, “The facial recognition didn’t work properly, so I couldn’t activate the phone,” adding, “Even obtaining alternative means is difficult for elderly people.”
A representative from the mobile phone distribution industry said, “Many elderly customers are not accustomed to using mobile phones in general, so there are cases where they complain of inconvenience during facial recognition,” adding, “There are also often customers who protest to staff after the authentication fails.”
This inconvenience is intertwined with the digital capability gap between the elderly and the general public. According to the “2025 Digital Information Gap Survey” released by the National Information Society Agency in March this year, the elderly (aged 55 and older) scored only about 56.2% of the general population in “digital literacy,” which measures basic ability to use computers and mobile devices.
The gap was even wider in AI utilization. The experience rate of older adults using AI services was 30.2%. The general public was 59.4%. Only 26.9% of older adults said that learning about new AI applications or products is not difficult. The general public was 55.1%.
As telecommunications services rapidly shift toward AI and digital-centric approaches, there are calls to consider not only efficiency and security but also accessibility for the elderly.
Jung Ji-yeon, Secretary General of the Korea Consumer Federation, said, “Digital-vulnerable groups, such as elderly customers of telecom companies, have the right to meet people face-to-face,” adding, “Face recognition should not make digital-vulnerable groups uncomfortable.”
The problem is that even some services that had been improving accessibility for older adults during the digital transformation process are being scaled back. Telecom companies previously expanded elderly care services by utilizing AI speakers. SK Telecom used the AI speaker “NUGU,” while KT used “Giga Genie.” LG Uplus also offered “U+ Our Home AI.”
Methods such as an elderly person saying “Help me” to an AI speaker, which then connects to 119 through a control center, were used.
However, related services have been on a recent downward trend. LG Uplus ended the “U+ Our Home AI” service in June this year. SK Telecom and KT are maintaining the related services, but no active updates have been made. This is why there are criticisms that while the pace of digital transformation in telecommunications services is accelerating, devices that can compensate for the elderly’s digital accessibility are not keeping pace.
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