Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, the Korean Blind Union and Intro Mobile, have agreed to continue developing a more upgraded version of the 'Helper Phone' that was launched in Seoul on December 23, 2004.

This phone is designed to help blind people conveniently use their mobile phones through a voice-enabled cellular function guide. Earlier, Samsung Electronics marketed the 'Helper Phone' with model no. SCH-E580. It offers special voice guidance to customers through the voice helper mode on the handset.

To use this service, the customer presses number '5' on the cellular screen a little bit longer than the regular pressing time. This model places its focus on facilitating the visually handicapped customers for their use of mobile phones.

'Helper Phone' provides such voice directed functions as the latest incoming and outgoing call list, text message list, voice message list, and non-answered call list. Furthermore, customers can get such information as date, time, alarm and battery capacity balance via voice guide.

The number of visually handicapped people registered to the Korea Blind Union has reached 280 thousand in Korea. Most of them are using mobile phones. They have had difficulties in using their mobile phones because they had been using the ordinary handsets developed for normally sighted people.

Emphasizing the launching of 'Helper Phone', SK Telecom, Samsung Electronics, the Korea Blind Union and Intro Mobile have agreed to keep on developing more upgraded 'Helper Phones' for visually handicapped people.

This will greatly contribute to the protection of the rights of visually handicapped people who have been left out of the mainstream society. This development is due to the fact that Korea is a major power of the IT industry in the world holding a 76 percent cellular phone subscription rate among the general population.

Hyung Keun Kim, vice-president of SK Telecom said, "Starting with the launching of 'Helper Phone', we have a plan to keep developing more upgraded handsets with a variety of functions that facilitate visually handicapped customer convenience in the future."