[THE INVESTOR] KT Corp announced on Aug. 24 its intent to begin selling smartphones made by China’s Huawei Technologies later this month.

The move by South Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier by subscribers joins its rivals SK Telecom and LG Uplus in introducing low-cost Chinese and Taiwanese smartphones in South Korea.

Huawei’s P9 Lite smartphone will be sold at 316,800 won (US$283) in South Korea, KT said in a statement.

Last year, LG Uplus rolled out Huawei’s Y6 smartphone in South Korea, while SK Telecom introduced the Luna smartphone, manufactured by Taiwan’s Foxconn as a contractor.

Demand for budget smartphones has risen since South Korea implemented a law early last year to ease fierce competition among telecoms firms.

An official in the local mobile telecoms industry said mobile carriers are likely to sell more Chinese smartphones because of their price competitiveness.

KT is to start selling the Chinese smartphone from next Monday via its outlets and website.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)