Operator expects 65% of total data traffic to be carried by LTE networks by 2014.

SK Telecom Co. will launch its super-fast next-generation wireless network on Friday in Seoul, seeking a greater share of South Korea\'s data service market, and plans to sharply increase its investment in the new network technology.

The natio\'s largest mobile carrier by subscribers will offer a 4G network that runs on Long-Term Evolution, or LTE technology, which enables an ultra high-speed data service that would allow users to download large-sized video content in minutes without the interruptions of earlier generation technologies.

South Korean mobile operators have been using advanced network technology, called WiBro or WiMax, and the increasing global demand for smartphones and tablet computing devices has pushed the mobile carrier to deploy more sophisticated networks so they can offer higher speed data services.

Among other global telecom operators, Verizon Wireless in the U.S. launched LTE services last December while in Asia, SK Telecom and LG Uplus would do likewise after NTT DoCoMo of Japan and CSL, the Hong Kong unit of Australian telecommunications firm Telstra Corp.

"SK Telecom expects to cover massively increasing data traffic as (the) LTE network can handle three times more data compared to the existing WCDMA networks due to its greatly enhanced speed," SK Telecom said in a statement."(SK Telecom) projects that around 65% of total data traffic will be handled by LTE networks in 2014," it added.

Data traffic in June was 19 times higher than in August last year and the dramatic increase in data traffic will continue with the rising demand for multi-tasking smart devices, SK Telecom said.

Reflecting the fast-changing network landscape, the mobile operator said it will spend more than KRW2 trillion (US$1.87 billion) by 2014 on LTE network technology.

In May, SK Telecom raised its 2011 capital investment to KRW2.3 trillion, up 15% from what it had previously set. The mobile operator said the increased spending of KRW300 billion will be used to upgrade its data service quality by expanding the capacity of its third generation, or 3G, networks and deploying LTE network technology.

SK Telecom expects to attract 10 million LTE subscribers by 2015, sharply higher than the 300,000 or so subscribers of this year, buoyed by the release of 4G-compatible handset devices in 2012.

In order to meet rising demand for faster hand-held devices, SK Telecom said it will roll out nine different LTE devices throughout this year, including five types of LTE smartphones in September and two types of tablet computers in October.

SK Telecom\'s hometown rival KT Corp. plans to launch a 4G service in Seoul in November, while LG Uplus Corp. will also embark on the advanced network service in Seoul from July 1.

LG Uplus, the country\'s smallest wireless carrier, will set aside KRW1.25 trillion of its expenditure budget on its LTE network by next year and will release as many as four models of LTE devices this year, including two types of LTE smartphones from October.