SK Telecom, South Korea's top mobile carrier, reported on Tuesday a 57 percent drop in quarterly net profit due to increased marketing costs and a higher comparison base a year earlier.

SK, which controls about half of the country's mobile market, earned 333.6 billion won ($228.8 million) in July-September profit, down from a 776.8 billion won profit a year earlier when it booked an one-off gain from its acquisition of a stake in China Unicom.

The result was in line with the consensus forecast of a 359.2 billion won profit from Reuters Estimates.

A costly marketing battle to woo new subscribers is easing as mobile operators switch their focus on retaining users. But the sector's outlook remains weak in a saturated local market while expansion abroad is curtailed by the ongoing financial turmoil.

Shares in SK Telecom rose 7.9 percent in the third quarter, bucking the broader market .KS11 fell 13.5 percent as a defensive play in the slowing economy.

Source:Reuters