KT to sell iPhone in South Korea

23.11.2009
South Korean carrier KT will start selling the iPhone this month, the company said Monday, bringing the hit device to another Asian country.

KT will start offering the 32GB and 16GB versions of iPhone 3GS on Nov. 28, the company said in a statement on its Web site. It will also offer the 8GB iPhone 3G.

The announcement comes after South Korean regulators last week granted Apple a license to operate location-based services in the country, which required clearance over user privacy concerns. The iPhone will compete in a handset market dominated by local vendors like Samsung and LG Electronics.

The hugely popular iPhone is now available in over 80 countries, according to Apple's Web site. China Unicom launched the handset last month in China, a huge potential market, though versions of the phone sold there are stripped of Wi-Fi to comply with local regulations.

The lowest price at which KT will offer the 32GB iPhone 3GS is 132,000 won (US$114) with a mobile service contract, it said in the statement. SK Telecom, another local carrier, is also reportedly in talks with Apple about offering the iPhone.

KT could not immediately be reached for comment. Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment.