[E-Daily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] LG Uplus(032640)is launching the “ixi-O Roaming Call” service, which allows users to make free voice calls overseas—starting with Japan—just as they do domestically. The company plans to expand the service to approximately 100 countries, including Southeast Asia, China, and Europe, in the second half of this year.

LG Uplus announced on the 5th that it has launched “ixi-O Roaming Call,” a free international calling service for users of its AI calling app “ixi-O.”

ixi-O Roaming Call is a service that allows customers subscribed to a U+ roaming plan to make voice calls while roaming abroad or using Wi-Fi without incurring separate international call charges. A key feature is that users can call family, friends, and business contacts in Korea just as they would while in the country, even while staying abroad.

LG Uplus developed this service after noting that customers traveling or on business trips abroad often use messaging apps instead of regular voice calls due to concerns about call charges.

In a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey conducted earlier this year among customers who had used roaming services within the past year, many respondents stated, “I hardly ever use regular phone calls because international call charges are too high,” and “I wish I could make calls right away, just like at home, without having to set anything up.”

LG Uplus explained that it designed the service to reflect these customer needs, allowing users to make regular voice calls more conveniently without any additional setup.

Starting with Japan, the service will be expanded sequentially during the second half of the year, focusing on regions with high demand from Korean users, such as Southeast Asia, China, and Europe. The company plans to expand the service to approximately 100 countries by the end of the year while monitoring call quality based on the network environment in each country.

To this end, the company has collaborated with overseas telecom carriers to conduct preliminary testing to ensure that call quality and key Exio features operate stably in roaming environments.

Executive Director Choi Yoon-ho stated, “Ixio Roaming Call is a service designed to allow users to continue the same calling experience they enjoy at home while abroad,” adding, “We will continue to enhance the service so that customers can make calls without worry and safely use AI-based calling services wherever they are, both at home and abroad.”