SEOUL, KOREA- Samsung Electronics regained the top spot in the global LTE phone market in three quarters after it lost the No. 1 position to Apple. According to U.S. market research firm Strategy Analytics, Samsung Electronics sold 27.2 million units of LTE phones in the second quarter of this year, grabbing a market share of 47 percent in the world.

Compared to a quarter ago, Samsung’s LTE phone sales grew by about 17 million units, with its market share rising by 22 percentage points from 25 percent.

Key factors behind the rise in the market share of Samsung Electronics include the steep increase in sales of LTE phones worldwide since the Galaxy S4 was released in late April.

Apple grabbed a share of 54.1 percent and 41.3 percent in the fourth quarter of last year and in the first quarter of this year, thanks to robust performance of its iPhone 5 that is compatible with LTE network. Its market share, however, fell to 23.5 percent in the second quarter, slipping to a No. 2 spot.

Sony, which sold 3.6 million units of LTE phones in the April-June period, was positioned at No. 3 with a market share of 6.2 percent.