LG Uplus said on Thursday that it will introduce a new monthly mobile plan that offers unlimited voice calls for its LTE smartphone subscribers.

Lee Sang-chul, vice chairman of the telecommunications company, said that its subscribers will be able to freely call mobile phones with their smartphones running on the fourth-generation LTE networks for as much as 69,000 won ($61) per month.

While introducing eight new monthly mobile plans that offer free voice calling options, the plans range from 34,000 won to 124,000 won, Lee said. Text messaging will also be free, but the amount of data offered will differ by the monthly plan.

“We want to go beyond the subsidy war staged by the country’s telecoms and use this opportunity to compete with fresh mobile payment plans and good-quality services,” he said in a press conference held in downtown Seoul.

The announcement took place after the company unveiled an unlimited data plan for LTE smartphone owners for the first time among the three telecoms in January. Its rivals SK Telecom and KT followed suit soon after.

LG Uplus, the nation’s No. 3 mobile carrier, has been moving aggressively to take over a greater number of LTE subscribers with the company establishing a nationwide LTE network sooner than its rivals.

For those who choose to go with one of the three monthly mobile payment schemes that range from 34,000 won to 52,000 won, unlimited calls between LG Uplus subscribers will be authorized and free voice minutes vary from 110 to 195 minutes.

Users of monthly mobile payment plans of 69,000 won and 79,000 won will be able to call mobile phones for free, but the amount of data the LTE phone owners could use will vary.

The pricier 89,000 won and 99,000 won per month schemes will enable its LTE subscribers to make unlimited calls to wireless and fixed-line numbers while limiting the data usage, according to its officials. The ultimate 124,000 won per month plan will provide unlimited voice calls and data usage.

Company officials, however, said the fees paid by its subscribers for the new monthly plans will be lower on a two-year contract.

“The worldwide trend in the telecom industry is moving towards free voice calls and it would be appropriate for you to think that we went a step ahead of the game,” Lee said.

“It may seem like a loss for the company, but we believe that we will be able to secure more LTE subscribers through the move.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)