South Korea's tech heavyweight LG Electronics said Wednesday it has launched its first tablet computer based on long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

The Optimus Pad LTE, LG's first LTE-capable tablet computer, was launched in South Korea initially in a bid to better compete with its rival products such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Apple's iPad, LG Electronics said in an e-mailed statement.

"With tablets generating five times more traffic than the average smartphone, it's not a huge jump to assume that tablet users need and want faster connectivity," said Park Jong-seok, president and chief executive of LG's mobile communication business.

South Korea's wireless carriers have sought to introduce LTE service nationwide in a bid to brace for surging demand for the high-speed fourth-generation (4G) technology, which can transmit data five times faster than the third-generation (3G) technology.

The country's biggest mobile operator SK Telecom planned to offer the 4G LTE service across the country from April 2012, moving up its original schedule by eight months.