In a recent statement, the Seoul-based bigwig electronics maker, LG Electronics, said that it is expecting its smartphone sales to increase by four times this year, with the company attempting to turn around its unprofitable handset business.

Without revealing the year-before figures, LG – the third-ranking mobile handset maker in the world – said that it is projecting a sale of 30 million units of smartphones in 2011. As per the company, the inclusion of other types of handsets will further increase this year’s sales figures to 150 million – marking a 30 percent year-on-year increase.

The statement by LG also disclosed that the company intends introducing 20 smartphones this year. In addition, it will also expand its research and development (R&D) staff to over 6,000 employees, indicating an increase of 15 percent.

With LG’s smartphones sales trailing those of rivals like Apple and Samsung Electronics, the company’s mobile-phone unit last month posted a third straight quarterly loss; and is now making efforts to revive its earnings.

LG is already rolling out more units of its new Optimus models, which are powered by the increasingly popular Google Android software and equipped with the most up-to-date technologies, like 3-D functionality.

Noting that LG’s “competitiveness is recovering”, Lee Soon Hak, a Seoul-based analyst at Mirae Asset Securities Co., said: “They are trying to be one step ahead of their competitors in adopting new technologies because they’ ve been behind.”