Kakao officially rolls out mobile ‘Voice Talk’ service in Korea


The debate surrounding free mobile Internet calls is expected to escalate after Kakao officially launched the service in Korea last week.

On Thursday, Kakao said it rolled out its mobile Voice over Internet Protocol service called “Voice Talk,” putting an end to its beta test which began early June.

“The launching of the Voice Talk service was an inevitable decision to better communicate with our loving friends,” the company officials said.

Stating that it is currently facing fierce competition from big players in other countries such as the U.S., Japan, China and Israel, Kakao officials stressed the service was not an alternative to voice calls but another communication method.

“We’re going global not with money, but with our skills and ideas and armed with our Voice Talk service,” its officials said.

In recent months, Kakao ― which has a user base of about 55 million people ― has faced heightened tensions with the country’s top two telecoms SK Telecom and KT over its cost-free Internet phone calls for handsets.

With the telecoms feeling threatened by the venture firm’s free voice service, the fight reignited the debate over net neutrality in Korea.

Net neutrality is the principle that users should have the freedom to choose any application they want, without interference from their Internet service providers.

Amid the debate, the Korea Communications Commission, the state media and telecom regulator, released a plan that enabled Internet service providers to control the traffic with user approval.

The plan also allows the Internet service firms to ban heavy users from viewing or downloading big files. The plan, however, is yet to be finalized.

“What lies at the center of the debate involving mVoIP services is that the networks should be free to use for anyone, but this cannot happen considering the investment that has already been made and what will be injected,” said SKT’s chief financial officer Ahn Seung-yoon in the company’s quarterly earnings conference call.

“The state regulatory body has currently made public that it is acceptable to restrict the use of free mobile Internet call services,” he said.

“We will let our users know about any upcoming changes such as optional monthly payment schemes as we’re currently drafting our measures out with the concerned parties.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)