(Telecompaper) Samsung plans to sell a version of its Galaxy S4 smartphone running the faster LTE Advanced technology as early as this month, co-CEO JK Shin told Reuters in an interview. The phone will launch initially in South Korea, and Samsung also is in talks with several overseas carriers to take the phone, Shin said. He declined to name the carriers. This would be the first commercial launch of a LTE Advanced phone, offering twice the speeds of existing LTE systems. The phones will be powered by Qualcomm chips. Shin showed little concern about sales prospects for the S4, which hit stores in late April. "S4 sales remain strong. It's selling far stronger than the (Galaxy) S III ... and the new LTE-Advanced (4G) phone will be another addition to our high-end segment offerings that ensure healthy profit margins," Shin said. Shin declined to provide forecasts for S4 sales. Shin also said sales of Samsung's tablet products in the U.S. market jumped 3.3 times since it installed brand shops within Best Buy's stores in April, and the company is now considering expanding the format in Latin America and the UK. Samsung declined to name potential retailers.