As reported exclusively by The Korea Herald, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus began selling Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S5 on Thursday, days ahead of the original global release date of April 11.
The move was seen to signal SK Telecom’s victory over Samsung, as the mobile carrier successfully persuaded the world’s largest maker of handsets to launch the latest smartphones in Korea first.
This is rare for Samsung, which chooses to simultaneously launch new products in major global markets.
“SK Telecom, by using its position as the market’s No. 1 carrier, has pushed the envelope as far as it can to get Samsung to bend over backward,” said one industry watcher.
Samsung Electronics mobile unit CEO Shin Jong-kyun on Wednesday denied the news of the Thursday release and was visually uncomfortable about the reports.
Among the three carriers, only SK Telecom is capable of signing new subscribers right now, as the other two are currently undergoing business suspensions, meaning they are banned from recruiting new customers.
SK Telecom’s business suspension will start on April 5.
The suspensions were handed down by the government in response to illegal subsidies offered by the telecom companies.
KT and LG Uplus, the nation’s second- and third-largest mobile network operators, can only sign up customers who have been using their current mobile network services for at least two years, or those whose phones are out of order.
SK said the new smartphone, priced at 866,800 won ($808), will initially come in two colors ― charcoal black and shimmer white. Blue and black models will follow.
“SK Telecom is constantly working to provide the best handsets and services to customers. We will continue to improve our products and services,” said Yoon Won-young, head of SK Telecom’s marketing division.
SK Telecom will conduct promotional events through which new customers can receive discounts of up to 200,000 won, and will provide the first 50,000 customers with 5 GB of free data.
The new Galaxy handset on the SK network comes with pre-installed apps including T Phone, a smart dial platform that filters spam calls and shows frequent contacts.
KT and LG Uplus will also offer benefits such as free insurance coverage and discounts on the Samsung Gear Fit in attempts to attract customers.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heralcorp.com)
