Telecom carriers honored for best design

A model holds KT's "Phonebrella," which is a combination of a phone and an umbrella. Its round-shaped handle helps users grab smartphones while holding the umbrella. The company said Monday that the Phonebrella has received two awards from the Red Dot Design Award. / Courtesy of KT

By Lee Min-hyung

The nation's top three telecom operators have won global design awards for their innovative and uniquely designed products.

The carriers ― SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus ― said Monday that they have received Red Dot Design Awards, better known as "the Oscars of design," for their leadership in differentiated mobile products design.

More than 7,400 products from 53 countries vied for design awards. The German-based international award is recognized as one of the world's most prestigious design competitions since it was established in 1954. The award is given in three categories ― Design Concept, Communication Design and Product Design.

In particular, KT, the nation's second-largest mobile carrier said it won the "Best of the Best" award for the design of the "Phonebrella," which is a combination phone and umbrella.

Its round-shaped handle enables users to freely touch their smartphones even while holding the umbrella.

"KT has been recognized for its innovation and creativity on the global stage," said a KT spokewoman in a statement. "We pledge to provide convenient mobile life to our customers with our differentiated designs."

The mobile operator said 24 of its products have received the Red Dot Design Award over the past six years, since it first participated in the competition in 2010.

LG Uplus has been given the "Winner" award for its efforts to communicate with innovative designs in its services ― including Uspoon and the Uplus Camera.

"We were capable of winning the award due to our efforts to incorporate sensitivity into our services," said Kim Jung-won, LG Uplus UX Center's design team manager.
"We will move forward with customer-oriented and innovative design."

SK Telecom, the nation's biggest mobile carrier, was given three awards in the competition.

The company said its Linkage EF Hearing Aid received the "Winner" award for its convenient usage as it was designed as a type of earphone.