SK Telecom aims to be `center of life`

SK Telecom Co., the nation`s biggest mobile carrier, embraces the mottos "center of life" and "heart of pleasure."

Aiming to be a central tool for a convenient life, the carrier offers services ranging from mobile banking and mobile shopping to mobile bookstore, mobile coupon and telematics.

Its mobile banking service called "MONETA" offers a wide range of services, including banking transactions, cash cards, electronic bills, lottery service, installment savings for housing loans, stock trading, etc.

MONETA is a wired/wireless combined service functioning via mobile handsets or the internet.

<**1>

It offers real-time stock trading information anytime, anywhere; customized apartment and real-estate information via location-based services; and information about automobile insurance policies on a real-time basis.

In addition to the mobile banking service, SK Telecom offers a mobile shopping service. Users can have access to shopping information by downloading a "virtual machine," a kind of virtual shopping assistant program.

Also noteworthy is the carrier`s mobile bookstore service. Users can find books by ISBN, a recognition code attached to a bookcover. The mobile bookstore service enables users to get the price and title of a book together with a brief summary in a second. Users can also instantly buy the book.

SK Telecom`s mobile coupon service enables users to purchase gift certificates of major department stores - Hyundai, Lotte and Shinsegae. Mobile gift certificates purchased before can be changed to real gift certificates at department stores after a simple authorization processes.

Further, SK Telecom`s mobile telematics service named "NATE Drive" offers real-time traffic information in major cities and on highways.

A telematics (a combination of telecommunication and informatics) system enables car passengers to watch satellite television programs while driving and receive wireless information.

Users can have access to the shortest, fastest routes, nearby gas stations and parking lots via mobile handsets. Since the company`s telematics service is offered with fixed fees - 600 won per day and 2,500 won per month - users don`t have to worry about additional fees.

Further, as a means to become the "center of life," SK Telecom promotes a digital home service which is currently deployed on a trial base in 600 households in seven major cities in Korea.

Along with fundamental services like prevention of fires and gas leaks, light control, gas control, video on demand, family member search and home messaging, the company will show innovative services such as pet care and digital picture frame.

The digital picture frame function enables users to send pictures via their handsets to picture frames hung on walls. All of these services are accessible via handsets, anytime, anywhere.

In pursuit of becoming the "heart of pleasure," SK Telecom offers the world`s first celluar ring-back-tones named "coloring," mobile music portal service "MelON," movie portal service "Cizle," three-dimensional mobile game "GXG" and satellite digital multimedia broadcasting service.

SK Telecom has been offering the coloring service, its most popular value-added service, since 2002. It enables customers to convert typical ring tones to their preferred tone sequences like music or casual greetings.

MelON, launched in November 2004, currently has 4 million subscribers. The wired/wireless integrated music service enables users to enjoy music anytime, anywhere with computers, mobile handsets or MP3 players. It also allows the permanent download of individual music tracks or albums during the subscription period.

"The number of paying subscribers, who enjoy music streaming service with a monthly flat rate, has reached 600,000. This indicates that the paid music download service is taking root in the local digital music market," said an official of SK Telecom.

Attached to the MelON service, SK Telecom launched "MelON Shop," a one-stop shopping mall where customers can purchase almost everything about music. This includes MP3 players, CDs, tickets for musical performances, accessories, etc.

Through the company`s movie portal Cizel, subscribers can purchase movie tickets in advance, enjoy video-on-demand services or apply for movie previews.

Further, to be at the "heart of pleasure," SK Telecom`s affiliate company TU Media Corp. launched satellite digital multimedia broadcasting service in May 2004 and commercialized the service in May 2005

It currently offers 11 video channels and 26 audio channels via mobile handsets.

(siyoungh@heraldm.com)



By Hwang Si-young