Kakao T Now Usable in Vietnam and Singapore... Roaming Service Expanded to 7 Southeast Asian Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] From now on, the Kakao T application (app) will be available in Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Kakao Mobility announced on the 12th that it has partnered with Splyt, a global mobility brokerage platform company, to launch a 'mobility roaming service' that allows users to access local services through the Kakao T app in seven Southeast Asian countries.

Mobility roaming is a service that enables users to call various local transportation options overseas using the Kakao T app. The roaming service was first introduced in Japan in 2018, and the following year, Kakao Mobility partnered with Splyt to provide the service in Vietnam as well.

Splyt, which is cooperating to expand global services, owns a vehicle-hailing network that covers Asia, North America, the Middle East, and Europe, including Southeast Asia's largest mobility service Grab, as well as Lyft, Careem, Cabify, and LeCab.

Users can use local mobility services such as taxis, Grab cars, SUVs, luxury sedans, and motorcycles in seven countries?Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia?through the Kakao T app without needing to install or sign up for separate apps.

To use the service, select the vehicle-hailing icon on the Kakao T app home screen, enter the departure and arrival locations in Korean, choose the mode of transportation, and call the vehicle. Features such as real-time automatic translation messenger and current location photo sending service are also provided to facilitate communication with drivers.

The fare is calculated by adding the roaming service fee to the transportation fare of each country. The roaming service fee is generally between 300 KRW and 700 KRW per call, but it varies depending on the fare and service environment of each country. Payment can only be made with domestic cards registered in the Kakao T app, and mobile micropayments are also supported. To enhance payment convenience, Kakao Mobility plans to expand payment partnerships.

Shin Dong-hoon, head of Kakao Mobility's MaaS business division, said, "By expanding roaming services to seven Southeast Asian countries, Kakao T has laid the foundation to grow into a global mobility platform that covers overseas travel demand. Based on our comprehensive and advanced mobility technologies such as proprietary maps and routing engines, we plan to introduce various mobility services beyond simple vehicle-hailing in the global market."

Meanwhile, this service will be available starting from the 19th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.