SK Telecom Co., the country's top mobile operator, said Tuesday its third-quarter net profit almost tripled from a year earlier on gains from equity ties with its chipmaking affiliate and its market leadership in the long-term evolution (LTE) market.

Net profit came to 502 billion won (US$473 million) on a consolidated basis in the July-September period, compared with 176 billion won a year earlier, SK Telecom said in a regulatory filing.

Revenue rose 1 percent on-year to 4.12 trillion won, and operating profit surged 88.4 percent to 551 billion won.

Shares of SK Telecom were trading at 235,000 won on the Seoul bourse as of 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, down 0.63 percent from the previous session's close.

The mobile operator attributed the rise in third-quarter profit to SK hynix Co. logging a record profit in the cited period, which boosted gains from equity ties with the chipmaker.

In addition, its leadership in the LTE market and business growth in affiliates SK Broadband and SK Planet propelled up its revenues.

SK Telecom said it had over 12.27 million LTE subscribers as of end-September, which account for more than 45 percent of its total mobile subscriber base.

The company said it expects its LTE subscriptions to reach 15 million this year.

SK Telecom expects to sustain its earnings improvement by maintaining its focus on market stabilizing measures that enhance customer value and strengthen customer retention. (Yonhap News)