South Korea’s three major handset makers ― Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Pantech Co. ― grabbed a share of more than 30 percent of the global long-term evolution phones in the first quarter, data showed Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone maker, ranked second by shipping 10.3 million handsets running on LTE service in the first quarter for a market share of 25 percent, according to data compiled by Strategy Analytics.

LG Electronics, the world’s No.3 smartphone maker, came in third shipping 2.8 million LTE phones in the January-March period accounting for a 6.8 percent share. Pantech, South Korea’s No. 3 handset maker, clinched a 2.9 percent share of the global LTE phone market with a shipment of 1.2 million in the first quarter, the data showed.

The three handset makers’ combined share of the global LTE phone market reached 34.7 percent in the first quarter, they showed.

Apple Inc., the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, took the top spot in the global LTE phone market by shipping 17 million handsets in the first quarter, grabbing a 41.3 percent share.

Sony Corp. ranked fourth with a shipment of 1.9 million or a 4.6 percent market share in the first quarter. Blackberry, which recently made inroads into the LTE phone market, garnered the fifth spot with a 4.1 percent share, the data showed.

South Korean smartphone makers are expected to bolster their presence in the global LTE phone market in the current quarter as they are focusing on high-end LTE devices by rolling out new smartphones such as the Galaxy S4 and the Optimus G Pro handsets, market analysts said.

Strategy Analytics said the global shipment of LTE phones reached 41.2 million in the first quarter, a sharp increase from 7.9 million a year earlier. (Yonhap News)