SK-Earthlink Rebranded 'Helio' in Bid for Young Callers
Wed Oct 26, 2005 1:17 pm
Effective today, SK-EarthLink becomes HELIO, a new mobile brand custom built for young, tech-savvy consumers. The company is a $440 million joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink.
Why HELIO? The Heliocentric view, radical when Copernicus preached it in the 16th century, held that the sun was at the center of the solar system. In the same way, HELIO recognizes that for millions of young consumers today, the mobile device is at the center of their lives.
"For years, we've waited patiently for real wireless innovation to make its way from places like Korea to the U.S. In the meantime, we've lived with low-end devices, uninspired service and yesterday's technology," said Sky Dayton, chief executive officer of HELIO, Inc. "So we created a brand just for us, with innovation directly from the most advanced wireless market in the world, to give young, tech-savvy consumers what we've all been waiting for."
HELIO brings together the strengths of its parent companies with extensive market research to deliver the only premium, custom built mobile experience for young, tech-savvy consumers, including the following:
- Advanced wireless services - HELIO is leveraging research and development innovation from SK Telecom to create a constant pipeline of new, proven service platforms, systems and applications that are, on average, two or more years ahead of the U.S. market. For example, HELIO's service delivery infrastructure leverages proven platforms from SK Telecom, which are completely scalable and flexible, allowing the company to rapidly respond to shifting consumer needs with new product and service introductions. Customers will also benefit from HELIO's use of the leading 3G networks in the U.S. (EVDO) that will enable the speedy delivery of data-rich content, such as music, video and multi-player gaming.
- Exclusive gadgets - HELIO will offer the world's most cutting-edge mobile devices that are built for a fully-loaded 3G experience. The company's handsets will be exclusive and unique in the U.S. market.
- Uncompromising service and support - HELIO believes that its customers are at the core of everything. The company leverages the legendary customer care philosophies and systems of EarthLink to establish an industry-leading customer service experience.
HELIO is poised to launch its new service in spring 2006.
