LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday shipments of smartphones that run on the long-term evolution network have surpassed the 5 million mark, as it seeks to return its struggling mobile business to the black.

Global sales of LTE smartphones topped the 5 million mark, one month after surpassing the 4 million mark in mid-July, the company said in a statement.

The milestone comes 15 months after LG released its first LTE smartphone overseas via Verizon Wireless in the United States.

Since May 2011, the company has expanded sales to 10 countries in Asia, Europe and North America.

In May, the company rolled out the Optimus LTE 2 on its home turf, adding another model to its growing LTE device line-up.

LG has been rushing to grab a bigger stake in the fourth-generation wireless market after slipping behind rivals Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. in the third-generation smartphone race.

In the second quarter, the company tied with China’s ZTE as the world’s eighth-largest smartphone maker, claiming less than 5 percent of the $219 billion global smartphone market, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics.

Samsung and Apple cemented their supremacy as the world’s two top smartphone makers, with their combined shipments accounting for nearly half of the total in the three-month period. (Yonhap News)