KT unveils iPhone pay plans

KT said yesterday it plans to offer four pricing schemes for the iPhone and other smartphones in the middle of next month.

The four packages comprising voice, data and messaging services will cost 35,000 won ($29.5), 45,000 won, 65,000 won and 95,000 won, a company spokesperson said.

"We reported four new smartphone pricing plans to the Korea Communications Commission on Sept. 25, which we hope to start in mid-October," the spokesperson said.

The nation`s No. 2 mobile carrier said last week that it obtained KCC`s approval to sell Apple`s iPhone plans, becoming the first Korean company to do so.



KT currently offers several fixed-rate data plans, but they do not have smartphone-only ones. He said the company plans to roll out more competitive data plans for smartphones and other handsets following its announcement on Friday that it will slash its mobile data rates.

Among the options, a 45,000-won bundle plan offers 500 megabytes of data, which are enough for users to not only surf the web but download music and other files. The package includes 200 voice minutes and 200 text messages. In the United States, a typical iPhone charge is about $70 ($40 voice + $30 unlimited data) without text messaging.

A 35,000-won tariff plan offers 100 megabytes of data, while a 65,000-won plan offers 1,000 megabytes of data, and a 95,000-won plan offers 3,000 megabytes of data.

KT cut its data rates by 60 percent to 20 won per megabyte, from the current 50 won under its 10,000-won plan that offers 200 megabytes of data.

In a bid to boost its data revenue, KT plans to roll out the iPhone as early as next month and other smartphones, while planning to launch its application store in November. KT said it has yet to decide the pricing of the iPhone, saying it is negotiating iPhone subsidies with Apple.

Meanwhile, Daum, Korea`s No. 2 web portal, plans to give away the highest specification iPhone 3GS to all of its 1,000 employees as Chuseok gifts once the phone is launched in Korea. The internet firm also plans to support iPhone data plans for two years. The move came as Daum, which sells two applications for video-sharing and map services on Apple`s App Store, looks to expand its iPhone-related business.

(hjjin@heraldm.com)



By Jin Hyun-joo