Samsung's mobile brand valued at US$5 bln

SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- The brand value of Samsung Electronics Co.'s mobile division is estimated at US$5 billion, the most valuable telecom brand in South Korea and No. 23 among telecom brands worldwide, an industry report showed Wednesday.
According to a recent report by Brand Finance Plc., a British brand valuation consultancy that evaluated brand value of mobile vendors and wireless carriers worldwide, four South Korean telecom brands made the top 100 list.
The brand value of South Korea's leading mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. was put at $2.7 billion, ranking No. 49, according to the London-based company.
KT Corp., the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, placed No. 55 with a brand worth $2.4 billion, it said.
The brand consultant measured the brand value of LG Uplus Corp., the country's smallest mobile carrier, at $906 million, placing it as the No. 89 telecom brand.
Vodafone Group Plc. claimed the title as most valuable telecom brand around the world for the second straight year, with an estimated value of $30.67 billion.
AT&T Inc., the second-largest mobile carrier in the United States with its acquisition of T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless were the respective runner-up and the third most valuable telecom brand, according to the report. Their brand values were put at $28.88 billion and $27.29 billion, respectively.
Global mobile vendors had mixed fortunes on the list. The brand value of Nokia Corp., the world's largest cell phone maker, declined from the top four last year to No. 11.
Apple Inc., which was not evaluated last year, ranked 15th with its brand value worth $6.93 billion, according to the report.