pindirect Wins Three 2026 Consumer-Chosen Brand Awards, Proving Its Edge in AI-Powered Telecom

pindirect, the digital MVNO brand of Stage Five, has won a series of brand awards based on consumer evaluations, earning three "consumer-chosen brand" titles.

pindirect recently won three major brand awards: ▲ the MVNO category at Forbes' 2026 Korea Best Brand Awards ▲ the K-Service category at the 2026 K-Brand Awards ▲ the 2026 KCAB Korea Consumer Assessment Best Brand Award. These wins recognize the strength of its digital telecom service. They are especially meaningful because the evaluations combined expert review with actual users' satisfaction and trust in the brand.

pindirect is a digital telecom brand designed to make mobile service "simpler and more affordable." Its fully contactless service runs the entire process online, from sign-up and activation to plan management and customer support. Customers can use the service without visiting a store. The brand also designs its plans around users' data usage patterns, which cuts unnecessary telecom costs.

pindirect also runs a 24/7 AI customer center powered by a large language model (LLM). It keeps wait times to a minimum and quickly handles common questions. This AI-based customer service system is seen as an example of improving both operational efficiency and customer experience in telecom.

One of pindirect's signature services is ‘PinPoint’, a program that adds more value for users. Customers earn points by paying their bills and using the service. They can use these points to lower their phone bills or spend them at convenience stores and on shopping, movies, flights and more. Consumers have responded well to a structure where "the more you use your phone, the more benefits you earn."

pindirect has also strengthened its roaming service for travelers abroad. It offers a "fully unlimited data roaming" plan that works in about 150 countries. Plans can be matched to a traveler's route, with packages that cover layover countries, so data stays easy to use throughout the trip. pindirect also offers simple eSIM activation that registers directly on the smartphone without scanning a QR code. This keeps setup to a minimum and makes the service easy to use even for people who are less comfortable with digital tools.

All of these services run on STAGE-ON, an AI telecom platform developed in-house by Stage Five. STAGE-ON is an AI-based telecom operations platform that manages the entire service process in one place, including plan design, sign-up and activation, customer support, billing and settlement, and operations monitoring.

STAGE-ON is now expanding into a B2B SaaS platform that helps companies and brands design and run their own telecom services. Through it, Stage Five is building an open telecom ecosystem where a wide range of companies and brands can take part.

Sangwon Seo, CEO of Stage Five, commented, "Winning these three awards shows that consumers themselves recognize the strength of pindirect's service. We will keep expanding the convenience and benefits our customers can feel, through our AI-based telecom platform and continued innovation in digital services."