Sales of Android smartphones top 10m

Sales of smartphones running Google Inc.’s Android software surpassed the 10 million mark in Korea this week, according to data from the country’s mobile carriers Wednesday.

The country’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co., had 6.18 million subscribers using Android smartphones as of Monday, while runner-up KT Corp. had 2.06 million, they said. Smallest player LG Uplus Corp. lured in 1.86 million.

The 10-million figure represents about 70 percent of South Korea’s smartphone market, estimated to be 14.1 million subscribers.

Android supplanted Apple Inc.’s iOS to become the most dominant smartphone operating system in Korea’s wireless market, attracting mobile vendors vying to replicate the success of the iPhone.

(Yonhap News)