KT targets 1 million iPhone 4 sales
By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff reporter
KT, the nation's second-biggest mobile carrier, plans to sell at least 1 million iPhone 4s, a senior company executive said, Tuesday.
The company is also aiming to sell over 1 million iPads, and the executive said differences with Apple over the early introduction of the devices have been narrowed.
"KT is planning to sell a combined two million of Apple's top sellers ― 1 million iPhone 4s and 1 million iPads. Our target is quite conservative," said Pyo Hyun-myung, the president of KT's mobile business division in a news conference held in downtown Seoul.
Pyo said the company was testing its networks for better technical stabilization and added the September arrival looks positive.
Since November last year, when KT introduced the 3GS iPhones to Korea, some 840,000 have been sold, according to the executive.
Steve Park, a representative of Apple's local branch, wasn't available for comment.
Amid the rising popularity of smartphones, KT has revised up its smartphone customer target to 2.5 million by the end of this year from 2 million. We are positive on increasing the number of total smartphone users to 6 million in 2011, Pyo said.
KT is to release 12 smartphone models by the end of this year and is expected to launch Wi-Fi-, 3G-, and WiBro-enabled tablet style PCs from the latter half.
The upbeat target came after the nation's top Internet company has fixed its 5.1 trillion won or $4.3 billion investment plan by 2015 upgrading its network to meet the explosive demand for wireless data from smartphone users.
Under the investment projection, KT will spend 4.07 trillion won on its mobile network from 2010 to 2014 and about 800 billion won for Wi-Fi and wireless broadband, KT said in a press release distributed just before the conference.
"Our Wi-Fi zones will be increased by 100,000, next year from 40,000 estimated spots this year across the country," the executive said, adding it will introduce the so-called cloud computing services.
Consistency for WiBro
Asked about plans to strengthen its WiBro business, Pyo said KT won’t drop it despite a stalled growth in numbers.
Although the number of KT's WiBro users remains at just 330,000, KT will invest an additional 550 billion won for WiBro-related businesses.
"WiBro is necessary to effectively handle higher data demand. We will maintain years-long continued policy consistency towards it," according to the executive.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will release both Wi-Fi and WiBro-enabled computers from October on local shelves.
WiBro is the local version of WiMAX. KT has recently teamed up with Intel and Samsung Electronics to set up a $267 million joint venture that sells and leases wireless broadband network equipment.
WiBro technology enables wireless high-speed data transmission services on mobile devices, such as mobile phones and laptops.
With WiBro, KT will start the next-generation telecom service _ long term evolution (LTE) _ from 2012 initially capitalizing on metropolitan areas and expand the coverage after 2013.
"All in for LTE is quite nonsense. LTE itself doesn't respond to the growth of wireless data traffic. It is just one part of wireless technology," Pyo said.