.
Nine months ago, Korea’s KT telecom made the iPhone available to Apple hungry customers and has dominated the Korean Apple pie since, being the only telco exclusively offering the product, giving the firm a huge business advantage and marketing edge, much like AT&T’s in the US. But is KT’s monopoly on Apple crumbling?
Word on the Seoul street is that rival SK telecom has publicly declared that it too wants a bite of fruity goodness, which could change the Korean telecom landscape significantly.
When RCR Unplugged asked SK if it was indeed true that it wanted in on the Apple action, we were told the firm “hopes to satisfy customer needs by providing various types of mobile devices. To this end, SK Telecom plans to consider the iPad or iPhone along with other mobile devices, but nothing has been decided yet.”
Rather than kiss Apple’s feet in the hope Steve Jobs might magnanimously throw SK KT’s sloppy seconds, however, SK Chief Executive Jung Man-Won has expressed his doubt in the iPhone’s ability to “satisfy” his customers, referring to the iPhone’s teething problems in the US as “worrisome.”
That doesn’t mean SK wouldn’t be interested in the iPad, however.
With no Korean telco currently offering the iPad to the Korean masses, the tablet is still up for grabs and may be a safer bet for SK who worries that the iPhone may impinge on its solid reputation for providing good cell phone service.
As for SK’s rival, although KT happily shared its plans to sell the iPhone 4, it has remained rather hush-hush when it comes to commenting on the iPad.
What is clear is that the iPad will be coming to Korea – and soon, however, who will be playing host to it, has yet to be seen.
With the two main telcos keeping their cards close to their chests, we will have to wait and seen how this apple crumbles.
iPad – Coming to Korea
ABOUT AUTHOR
