By Cho Mu-hyon
Telecommunications giant KT said Monday that most of its previous subscribers using Apple’s iPhones have upgraded to the iPhone 5.
According to the firm, 89 percent of 50,000 people who purchased the new handset Friday selected KT.
The company said that the numbers were proof that iPhone users are usually loyal to their mobile operator. In 2012, only 31 percent of subscribers choosing phones by other firms remained with their original carrier when they switched to newer devices.
It attributes its popularity to being the best choice for iPhone 5 customers due to its long experience in providing Apple devices as the first to introduce them here in 2009.
KT also said that its 200,000 WiFi access points are a further incentive to sign a contract with the company.
It started taking preorders on November 30 along with rival SK Telecom. It snowed heavily across the country on Friday when sales started but that didn’t prevent consumers from flocking to retailers of both firms to snap up Apple’s latest offering.
KT said around 35 percent of preorders were made using a newly-offered text service, introduced for customer convenience.
The company has an estimated 3 million subscribers using Apple phones.
It has been waiting in eager anticipation for the iPhone 5 as it allows access long-term evolution (LTE) and is the impetus it needs to reach its subscriber target for the network for this year. It has around 3.3 million LTE customers but still needs a push to reach its goal of 4 million by the end of the year.