SKT and Samsung Electronics Home Appliances Also Available for ‘T Woosoo’ Rental Subscription… Up to 20% Cheaper

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] The scope of SK Telecom's subscription product ‘T Universe’ is expanding to include large home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

SK Telecom announced on the 28th that starting from the 29th, customers can experience and subscribe to rental services for Samsung Electronics' home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, through its distribution network. The Samsung Electronics home appliances introduced for the first time include five product lines: BESPOKE refrigerators, kimchi refrigerators, Air Dressers, washing machines, and dryers.

Through cooperation with SK Magic, customers can also receive product management services such as regular filter replacement and cleaning. Prices are also up to about 20% cheaper compared to the regular price. For example, the monthly rental fee for the BESPOKE refrigerator 4-door (847L) light product is 52,110 KRW, which is similar to the lowest internet price.

SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics are also introducing a service that allows voice and remote control of Samsung Electronics home appliances through the integration of AI technology NUGU AI and SmartThings. AI integration is available for Samsung Electronics products that support Wi-Fi, and existing products other than rental products can also be used through software updates.

For example, if a washing machine and Air Dresser equipped with SmartThings are registered in the NUGU app, they can be controlled by voice commands such as “Aria, turn on the Grande washing machine.” Even outside the home, appliances can be remotely controlled via voice commands through T map and T phone’s NUGU voice control on smartphones. Within this year, it is planned to enable features such as operation notifications and homecoming mode by linking with the Smart Home app.

To commemorate the launch of the Samsung Electronics home appliance rental subscription service, SK Telecom will provide new subscribers with a 3-month usage voucher for the subscription package product ‘Universe Pass all’ (monthly fee 9,900 KRW). Although it is an individual subscription product, there are plans to offer it as part of the Universe Pass package benefits in the future. Starting in November, lifestyle-related services such as ‘GS Fresh’, ‘CJ The Market’, ‘Yanolja’, ‘Saenghwal Gongjakso’, and ‘Cleaning Lab’ will be added as affiliated services of Universe Pass all.

Yoon Jae-woong, head of subscription marketing at SK Telecom, said, “The Samsung Electronics home appliance rental service we are introducing this time is not just a simple rental service, but the core is to provide additional value through AI collaboration between the two companies.” He added, “We will continue to strive to combine communication services, subscription services, and AI technology so that customers can feel greater benefits.”