KT plans to sell its old copper cables that used to be the main telecommunication lines for telephones and the Internet in the 1990s.

With the emergence of smarter devices and demand for faster data, copper cables have gradually been replaced by fiber-optic cables, which are lighter and transmit data faster with greater bandwidth.

KT said Thursday that it will sell over 26,000 tons of copper cables via a public auction to waste and recycling companies by the end of August.

With the proceeds from the sale, it will invest in further developing faster network infrastructure using fiber-optic cables to meet rising demand for faster data transmission amid the smart device boom.

This comes as KT, Korea’s second biggest mobile carrier, has been moving to improve and advance its network systems since last year with plans to further replace some of its copper cables with fiber-optics.

KT earlier this week announced plans to expand by further upgrading its Long Term Evolution services to a premium level or the so-called LTE Warp Advanced, while maintaining its edge in WCDMA, WiFi and WiBro and 3W network services.

With such services, it will offer voice over LTE services in line with its expectations that the number of LTE smartphones will exceed that of phones running on third-generation networks.

KT, which was last among Korea’s three telecom companies to provide LTE services, is also eyeing 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion) in sales overseas through equity investments and strategic partnerships.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)