South Korean telecom operator KT Corp said on Sunday it planned to begin selling Apple`s iPhone 4 this week amid growing competition to expand in the potentially lucrative smartphone market.

KT, the country`s sole distributor for the gadget, plans to start sending out the gadgets on September 10 to around 270,000 customers who placed pre-orders, a company spokesman said.

KT, South Korea`s second-largest wireless operator, has sold about 890,000 iPhones since the market debut of earlier models last November.

South Korea`s mobile phone market is one of the world`s most vigorous, with 45 million users in a population of 49 million. Smartphones, however, have a relatively small share, suggesting huge growth potential.

BDST: 1925 HRS, 6 September 2010