KT Alpha, RT Media Enter Vietnam Mobile Coupon Market

Establishment of Vietnam JV... First Overseas Joint Venture Among KT Group Companies
Utilizing Local Network and Infrastructure for 'Aqua Voucher'
Expanding Value Chain and Maximizing Profits Through Overseas Expansion

KT Alpha is entering the Vietnamese mobile coupon market by partnering with media solution company RT Media. On the 11th, KT Alpha announced, "Next month, we will establish a joint venture 'Aqua Retail' locally in Vietnam and officially launch mobile coupon services starting in July." This is the first case of an overseas joint venture among KT Group companies.

The initial capital of the joint venture is approximately 1.5 billion KRW. The investment ratio is 70% for KT Alpha and 30% for RT Media. Aqua Retail will introduce the mobile coupon service 'Aqua Voucher' in July. The local pronunciation of Aqua is 'Akkua (Aqu?)', a compound of the first letter 'a' of the alphabet and the Vietnamese word 'qu?' meaning gift.

In Vietnam, e-voucher (electronic voucher) is commonly used with the same meaning as domestic mobile coupons. Vietnam's e-commerce market has high potential. Among the total population of 98 million, about 63% are under 39 years old. The number of smartphone subscriptions reaches 146 million.

Aqua Retail plans to first launch business-to-business (B2B) services providing marketing tools such as customer rewards and promotional prizes, followed by launching an online mall targeting general consumers (B2C) later. The strategy is to grow as a mobile coupon provider capable of cross-border transactions by linking a global network based in Vietnam.

Cho Seong-su, CEO of KT Alpha, stated, "By expanding into high-growth global markets, we will secure new growth engines by expanding the mobile coupon value chain."