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produced by Taiwan’s HTC partnered with Google. 　

KT has decided to bring the Nexus One, considered the chief competition to Galaxy S, into the domestic market. With SK Telecom recently joining hands with Galaxy S manufacturer Samsung to open an offensive on the iPhone, KT has decided to do battle with the Nexus One, known as the “original Android phone,” until the next generation iPhone is released.

“We plan to launch the Nexus One in mid-June,” said KT Chairman Lee Suk-chae during a press conference to mark the one-year anniversary of the merger of KT and KTF at KT’s headquarters in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun on Monday. KT will sell the phone online from mid-June and through KT dealerships starting in July.

“In accordance with KT’s management goal of always bringing new value to customers, we have decided to offer the Nexus One, which has received praise for making the most of the strengths of the Android operating system,” Lee also said. “Like the iPhone, the Nexus One will also provide customers with a new level of experience.”

Produced by Taiwan’s HTC partnered with Google, the Nexus One hit the markets for the first time earlier this year. It has a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon chip, 3.7-inch AMOLED screen and 16 GB of memory, extendible to 32 GB. It uses Google’s Android 2.2 as an operating system. As a smartphone armed with Froyo (Android 2.2), it can also be used to connect with the 3rd generation mobile networks of the iPad or the newest e-book readers.

This decision is indicative of KT’s strong will to take on the alliance of SK and Samsung Electronics. In fact, the timing of KT’s Nexus One distribution launch in mid-June happens to coincide with SK‘s distribution launch of the Galaxy S. In response, SK and Samsung have responded by attaching no particular meaning to it.

“As Google’s first ever directly marketed Android phone, the Nexus One attracted a great deal of attention in the beginning, but has failed to attain much popularity on the market,” said one Samsung Electronics official. “Since SK is distributing the Nexus One’s follow-up model, HTC’s Desire, I do not understand why KT has chosen to belatedly bring the Nexus One to the market.”

“The move can be seen only as a desperate measure,” the official of SK said.

Meanwhile, KT is looking to continue its advantage of possessing both strong wired and wireless networks since the merger. To do this, KT plans to allow users to use wireless Internet through a wireless LAN on subways, buses and cruise ships from October by use of Egg, which converts WiBro into WiFi. Moreover, Samsung and Intel have invested 320 billion Won ($265 million) to jointly form a a WiBro investment company to expand the WiBro service area. KT also said Monday it plans to create a 100 billion Won fund to support software and mobile content development firms.

“KT, which has been regarded as a company on the downslide, was reborn as a company with great growth potential,” said Chairman Lee in regards to KT‘s achievements one year after the merger. “From now, I will work to cultivate the basic skills needed to transform the company into a global corporation.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]