The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions

  • 3

    BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records

  • 5

    TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride'

  • 7

    Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities

  • 9

    More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality

  • 11

    National pension anticipated to be fully drained in 2055: NPS

  • 13

    Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term

  • 15

    Opposition leader Lee claims innocence in corruption probe

  • 17

    12 websites still unavailable after Chinese cyberattacks

  • 19

    Wall Street climbs to hit best level in nearly eight weeks

  • 2

    Senior US general warns of possible looming war with China

  • 4

    Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait'

  • 6

    ENA's new dating show to spotlight young adult's romance

  • 8

    Bad weather disrupts operation of Jeju airport again after 3 days

  • 10

    Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula

  • 12

    Korea's rice consumption hits another low in 2022: data

  • 14

    SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia

  • 16

    Police to build disaster prediction system to prevent recurrence of Itaewon tragedy

  • 18

    Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event

  • 20

    LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Sun, January 29, 2023 | 02:32
Business
KFT Turmoil, Rules Nix iPhone Debut
Posted : 2008-10-14 19:20
Updated : 2008-10-14 19:20
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Korean gadget lovers wanting an iPhone for Christmas had better forget it. The planet's most sought-after handset of the moment won't be making it to the world's mobile-phone capital by the end of the year.

Apple's universally popular handset, iPhone 3G, won't be reaching Korean markets anytime soon. / Korea Times File
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

Korean gadget lovers wanting an iPhone for Christmas had better forget it. The planet's most sought-after handset of the moment won't be making it to the world's mobile-phone capital by the end of the year.

KTF, the only wireless carrier in the country that had aggressively courted Apple, can't afford to make any promises when they clearly have more urgent things to think about.

The company's former chief executive Cho Young-ju, who had been the biggest supporter of an iPhone release, is now in the slammer for taking bribes from equipment makers, a scandal that is now splashing over to its parent company, KT.

And the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, still can't decide on whether to lift the software requirements that had prevented foreign handset makers from releasing their high-end products here.

Add that to the recent plunge of local currency, which makes foreign handsets more expensive for local carriers, and it's uncertain whether the iPhone will reach Korean customers before the buzz dies out. Considering it will take about two to three months to complete the network interoperability tests, the local debut of the iPhone will have to wait to the first quarter of next year even if a contract is signed now.

``There is no progress to report about the iPhone,'' said a KTF spokesman.

A KCC official admitted it would be difficult to make a conclusion on the fate of the local software requirements anytime soon.

``There is a lot of conflict of interest surrounding WIPI and it is safe to say that it would be impossible to make a decision by the year's end,'' said an official from KCC's telecommunications policy bureau.

Since 2005, the government had mandated ``WIPI,'' or ``wireless Internet platform for interoperability,'' for all handsets supporting mobile data services. Foreign makers had been reluctant to produce WIPI handsets only for the Korean market, which numbers about 20 million sets per year.

KTF, which is currently engaged in a neck-and-neck battle with industry leaders SK Telecom over the third-generation (3G) telephony market, and wireless content providers have been calling for the government to lift the WIPI requirements.

However, electronics makers Samsung and LG, who aren't too excited about the idea of the iPhone eating into some of their combined 90 percent market share at home, would prefer having WIPI stay.

LG Telecom, the smallest carrier and also a WIPI backer, being one of the few global carriers to rely on CDMA EV-DO Revision (A) to provide mobile data services, puts the iPhone out of consideration anyway.

SK Telecom, which controls more than 50 percent of the country's mobile-phone customers, can afford to sit on the fence. The company admits that it has been talking with Apple over the release of the4 iPhone, but doesn't feel the need to over-commit.

``You can't say that Apple is greatly interested in the Korean market,'' said an SK Telecom spokesman.

``There are a lot of issues to be settled, such as whether Apple would be willing to make the adjustments to enable our mobile data features on the iPhone,'' he said.

The global buzz surrounding the iPhone is deafening, but it remains to be seen whether Apple's latest iconic product will be a hot seller here.

One of the decisive factors is the weakening local currency, which plumbed new depths last week before regaining some value in recent days.

The 16-gigabyte iPhone handset is currently selling for around $800 in Hong Kong, which means the Korean price could easily reach around one million won should the won settle above 1,300 won to the dollar.

The fall of local currency is causing disruptions to the plans of wireless carriers to release handsets made by foreign makers. SK Telecom released a smart phone made by Taiwanese marker HTC earlier this year and is currently talking to companies Nokia and Sony Ericsson over the domestic release of their handsets.

However, with the falling local currency making foreign phones more expensive, SK Telecom and other local carriers are experiencing difficulties in closing the deals, being forced to renew their demands that the handset makers lower their prices.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions People attempt to cut surging heating costs with creative solutions
2Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities Cabinet ministries turn deaf ear to watchdog's advice on sexual minorities
3More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality More Korean manufacturers enjoy Georgia's hospitality
4Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula Seoul to work with Hanoi to pursue peace on Korean peninsula
5Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term Superintendent of Seoul Education Office gets suspended jail term
6SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia SK E&S retains gov't support for Barossa gas project in Australia
7Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event Indonesia celebrates 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea via virtual event
8LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings LGES to capitalize on US IRA, Tesla partnership to continue record earnings
9KT&G aims to become global top-tier company KT&G aims to become global top-tier company
10Middle East 'sales diplomacy' picks up speed Middle East 'sales diplomacy' picks up speed
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records BLACKPINK sets 6 more Guinness records
2Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait' Jang Keun-suk steps out of his comfort zone with 'The Bait'
3Shunsuke Michieda overwhelmed by Korean fans' support for his coming-of-age film Shunsuke Michieda overwhelmed by Korean fans' support for his coming-of-age film
4Kim Hyun-joo says humanity is at heart of action film 'Jung_E' Kim Hyun-joo says humanity is at heart of action film 'Jung_E'
5TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride' TXT brings together 'pansori' and fairy tale in new song 'Sugar Rush Ride'
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

wooribank
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group