Samsung voiced annoyance Thursday after South
Korean telecoms operators released its latest
smartphone ahead of schedule in order to dodge
sales restrictions imposed by regulators.
The world's biggest mobile phone maker had
planned to release the Galaxy S5 -- first unveiled
in February -- globally on April 11.
But the South Korea's top operator SK Telecom,
along with smaller rivals KT and LG Uplus,
started selling the phone on Thursday.
Seoul's telecoms regulators have suspended all
three firms from signing up new customers for
45-day periods each -- ranging from March to
May -- as a penalty for offering illegal discounts.
SK Telecom's business suspension begins April 5
-- before Samsung's planned Galaxy S5 launch
date -- and continues until May 19.
Samsung said in a statement that the earlier-
than-scheduled release was made
"independently" without its consent.
"We express our regret at this decision and we
are working to verify all the facts," it said,
adding it would stick to the April 11 release
date for the rest of the world.
SK Telecom said the early release was motivated
by a desire to "meet customer needs more
quickly". It declined to elaborate further.
Samsung is hoping the Galaxy S5 will cement its
lead in the global smartphone market.
The South Korean giant made about 30 per cent
of all smartphones sold in the world last year,
nearly twice the share of arch-rival Apple.
The Galaxy S5 boasts a range of new features
including a fingerprint scanner and a built-in
heart rate sensor.
READ: Samsung debuts wearables and latest
Galaxy smartphone
But Samsung faces a daunting challenge to keep
momentum in the increasingly competitive and
saturated market.
Competition is fierce in South Korea's vibrant
mobile market, where the number of subscribers
exceeds the country's total population of 50
million as many use several handsets.
Nearly 70 per cent of the subscribers use
smartphones -- one of the highest penetration
rates in the world.
source: businessdaily
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