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By Yoon Sung-won
KT is expected to become the telecom partner of U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Motors in the Korean market.
Tesla is planning to roll out its relatively cheaper EV Model 3 here and has named KT as the provider of network services for its vehicles, according to industry sources, Friday. The companies have had detailed discussions to settle the final agreement, the sources said.
The Model 3 is an advanced EV that will have diverse wireless network services, or telematics, such as voice call, map searching, shopping and gaming, similar to a smartphone. The car is expected to be released after late 2017.
Tesla has established partnerships with telecom operators in other regional markets to provide mobile network services for its cars. It has worked with AT&T in the U.S. while cooperating with Telefonica and TeliaSonera in European markets.
The EV maker established a Korean subsidiary, Tesla Korea, in November and has been in talks with SK Telecom and KT, the nation's two biggest telecom operators, over forming a partnership here.
Under the leadership of Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu, KT has pushed to expand in the EV car and autonomous vehicle industries, which are expected to bloom in Korea.
It has cooperated with Korea's top automaker, Hyundai Motor, to provide a remote car condition monitoring service dubbed Hyundai Blue Link on its networks. KT is also known to be in discussions to set up more than 100,000 EV charging facilities at its regional branch offices and telecom offices nationwide, aiming to accelerate EV distribution here.
But a KT spokeswoman said: "We have nothing solid to confirm at the moment."
Tesla's Model 3 is considered a budget model costing about $35,000. Despite its relatively low price tag, the EV is capable of traveling up to 346 kilometers when fully charged, drawing wide global interest.
