Monday, May 12th, 2014
SEOUL, KOREA - KT, Korea's No. 2 mobile telecom service operator, has signed up more than 150,000 new subscribers during the two-week period from April 27 to May 9 following a 45-day suspension period. This figure is much higher than that gained by any other rivals during their sole operation period. On May 12, KT said that it has enlisted a total of 153,000 number portability customers, or about 11,000 customers a day.
In contrast, SK Telecom and LG U+ reported they saw 6,260 and 8,500 net increase, respectively, a day on average. KT attributed the success to its timely response to the market situation in which all three mobile telecom operators cry foul of illegal subsidies given to handset sales. As of the end of April, the company reorganized all its 236 branch offices into 79 larger regional offices, with 181 smaller subsidiary organizations underneath them.
KT said by far the biggest factor in raising the new customer number to over 150,000 was offering of low-cost smartphone models. According to the company, the share of low-priced phone models with more than 20 months after launch, such as the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, Galaxy Note 2, Optimus G, Vega R3, and Optimus Vu 2, was 43.1 percent for the two-week period. Its budget phone lineups have also increased to more than ten models, including the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, LG Optimus GK, iPhone 5, and Vega Secret Up.
Lim Heon-mun, KT vice president in charge of customer services, said, "Beginning in the sequential suspension period on the three mobile telecom firms, KT has worked day and night to reform its organizations and change the way we do business. In addition, our desperate effort to be the No. 1 company in the mobile telecom business could grab customers' attention."