SK C&C to start mobile commercial operations

By Kim Yoo-chul

SK C&C, the information-technology (IT) service unit of the SK Group of companies, is attempting to hit the gold trail in the United States through electronic commerce services based on mobile devices.

The company’s goal is to achieve around $100 million in annual revenue from its mobile commerce business in the U.S. by 2012, according to a company executive.

SK C&C recently inked a partnership with First Data Corporation, a major developer of e-commerce and payment processing services, with the aim to penetrate the mobile commerce services market in the U.S. and eventually worldwide.

Due to the rising popularity of smartphones and other portable devices like tablet computers the mobile commerce market in the U.S. has been growing rapidly. SK C&C is expecting to find immediate demand for its services from U.S. telecommunications carriers and financial services firms.

``Our goal is to claim 40 percent of the U.S. mobile commerce market, which will account for around $100 million in sales,’’ said Yook Sang-kyun, a senior official at the company’s mobile-commerce (m-commerce) business division.

``Amid the growth of the m-commerce sector, creating integrated solutions and services have become critical, and this is an area where our partnership with First Data Corporation could reap benefits. We are planning to expand our m-commerce business to 30 other markets worldwide, such as China and Europe.’’

Since 2002, SK C&C has been providing a variety of mobile commerce services, such as Trusted Service Manager (TSM), which enables online banking and payment on mobile devices.

The deal with First Data Corporation is just the first of what will be many strategic partnerships with technology providers worldwide currently in the pipeline, Yook said.

``The mobile commerce market is now just getting out of its infancy, due to the explosive growth in smartphone sales. The industry is now ready to fully take off,’’ he said.