Fon and KT Team Up With a Global WiFi Agreement
26 MAY 2014. SEOUL & MADRID.- KT (www.kt.com), the leading Korean telco, and Fon (fon.com), the global WiFi network, announced today a global WiFi roaming partnership that will give customers of both companies a free, broader and richer WiFi experience as they travel the globe.
Fon members will gain free access to KT’s entire WiFi network, which includes popular hotels, restaurants, bookstores, convenience stores, bakeries and cafes throughout South Korea. In return, selected KT customers traveling abroad can now gain free access to approximately 13 million global Fon hotspots. The agreement covers smartphones and other WiFi enabled devices, which will connect seamlessly to selected hotspots in both the KT and Fon networks.
The joint plan is to expand the partnership to the entire customer base of KT and to provide KT customers with the best WiFi experience not only in Korea but also around the globe, as part of the Fon community.
“Our agreement with Fon further expands our international WiFi footprint making it easier for our customers to stay connected to what matters most during their travels abroad.” said Byeong-Moo Lee, vice president, Roaming & Alliance Department, KT.
“Korea is one of the most advanced Telco markets in the world, and KT the undisputed market leader. Fon has had members in Korea for long time. Not surprisingly we see up to 5 times more WiFi traffic per user in a FonSpot in Korea compared to our average usage – mainly driven by heavy video streaming and gaming.” said Alex Puregger, Fon COO. “We are thrilled about this partnership and about being able to collaborate with the leading Telco in such an advanced market. We now offer great Fon WiFi coverage in both Japan and Korea.”
About KT corporation
KT Corporation is a South Korean integrated wired/wireless telecommunication service provider. KT, leading the development of the information and communications industries of Korea since its foundation in 1981. Expanding 4.5 million fixed lines to 20 million in just 12 years, KT introduced universal telephone service to every citizen of Korea, leading the development and advancement of communications services. More recently, KT established an advanced broadband network for the first time in Asia, and launched Korea’s first communication satellite ‘Mugunghwa (Sharon’s Rose)’, contributing to making Korea one of the most advanced countries in information and communications. KT was awarded the Global Supersector Leader for Telecommunications (World No. 1 company in terms of sustainable business practices) by Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for 2 consecutive years. KT was awarded Best WiFi Service Innovation Award in 2012 and Best Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) Initiative in 2013 by Wireless Broadband Alliance.
About Fon
Fon was founded in February 2006 by serial entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky with the goal of blanketing the world with WiFi. Today the company is a global WiFi leader with more than 12 million hotspots around the world. Fon has offices in Madrid, London, Tokyo and New York. Its partners include Belgacom (Belgium), BT (UK), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Hrvatski Telekom (Croatia), JT (Jersey Island), KPN (Netherlands), MTC (Russia), MWEB (South Africa), Netia (Poland), NOS (Portugal), Oi (Brazil), OTE (Greece), SFR (France), Softbank (Japan) and Telstra (Australia). For more information, please visit fon.com