KT eyes bigger presence in healthcare business
Song Jae-ho, vice president in charge of KT’s future business, introduces the company’s healthcare business strategy at a restaurant in central Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of KT
By Lee Min-hyung
Mobile carriers here are gearing up for the emerging big data era, as the wired and wireless telecommunications market is nearing saturation point.
KT, the nation’s largest fixed-line operator, is no exception in its bid to gain a foothold in the next-generation growth engines. In recent years, the company has invested hugely on building ICT infrastructure to be in line with the data-driven telecom and mobile ecosystem.
The company previously set its five future growth engines ― including smart media, integrated security and healthcare ― seeking to grab a leading position in new revenue sources.
The company held a media forum Thursday where it unveiled its plan to tap deeper into the profitable healthcare industry.
The mobile carrier said it plans to launch a smart fitness band, Neofit, next month, seeking to capitalize on its expertise in big data and Internet of Things (IoT).
KT is focusing on the bio-converged, personal healthcare industry, meeting growing demand for real-time health monitoring.
“NeoFit can track and monitor 100 physical activities of users, allowing the device to gather massive datasets and offer health-related advice more precisely than other existing smart bands,” Song Jae-ho, vice president in charge of KT’s future business, said at the forum.
“The healthcare business is one of KT’s next-generation growth engines, using our network infrastructure, IoT and big data,” he said. “We are going to continue to expand our presence into the global market.”
One of the selling points of the new healthcare device is that it can precisely check every movement of a user, as the company focused for more than seven months on building an algorithm, according to KT.
Neofit’s counterparts include Mi Fit of Xiaomi and Gear Fit of Samsung Electronics.