Tech firm will not roll out 3G smartphones in second half


KT said Tuesday that it will release a new data rollover promotion plan for handsets running on the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution networks beginning in August.

The promotion, which also offers 3,000 KT-to-KT voice minutes, is part of the company’s effort to secure 4 million LTE service users by the end of this year. The firm now has about 1.4 million LTE subscribers.

The country’s No. 2 mobile carrier also said that it will not be introducing any more smartphones operating on the third generation networks in the latter half of this year.

KT, which was the last of the country’s three mobile carriers to launch LTE services, is pushing LTE as the number of LTE smartphones is expected to exceed 3G handsets by the end of next year, according to its mobile business group president Pyo Hyun-myung.

Two new monthly payment plans with the additional voice minutes ― costing 65,000 won and 75,000 won ― will be introduced on Aug. 1. Another monthly payment plan of 125,000 won with unlimited voice minutes between KT users will also be available on Sept. 1.

Those who decide to take advantage of the plan by Dec. 31 will be given the data rollover benefit. The new plans are about 3,000 won more expensive than the existing monthly payment schemes.

“We acknowledge that we are rather a latecomer to the local LTE market but we’re currently securing up to 700,000 LTE users every month,” said Pyo. “We believe our goal can be reached with this trend along with the variety of services such as the upgraded speed of our LTE technology called WARP Advanced.”

He also said that KT will launch a pilot test for the Voice over LTE service across the nation starting on July 21, demonstrating the service by connecting a call with a KT employee in a moving vehicle during a press conference.

Another feature, a Rich Communication Suite service dubbed “joyn,” will allow people to send files and videos while talking on their handsets. It will be offered starting in October.

The company will also offer a service that aims to give seamless connections between Wi-Fi, LTE and third-generation networks named “Always Best Connected” beginning in September.

KT’s “good Wi-Fi selector” feature, which will be commercialized in November, will pick the most appropriate Wi-Fi network within the area. Olleh TV will be available in high-definition during the same month, said Pyo.

“We came to the conclusion that an uninterruptable strong network needs to be established due to the fact that high-capacity multimedia services are gaining popularity with LTE smartphones,” he said. “With the total network in place, KT aims to create what could be called a ‘high-definition mobile wonderland’ here.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)