Upgrades and Developing Markets Drove Handset Sales in 2007

According to a new research report by RNCOS, the global shipment of mobile phones surged by 12.3% YoY in 2007 on account of upgrade sales in the developed countries and addition of new subscribers in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The report says that service providers in the developed countries are pitching 3G services aggressively and encouraging consumers to switch over to 3G mode. Meanwhile, low-end, ultra low-cost mobile handsets are being pushed into the emerging markets.

Furthermore, it is expected that high growth in the shipment of mobile phones will continue in 2008 due to rising demand for handsets in the Asia-Pacific region and replacement demand for smartphones in North America and Europe. At present, the Asia-Pacific region accounts for over 50% of the global mobile subscribers and is expected to remain the largest mobile subscriber base in near future. However, Eastern Europe is anticipated to emerge as the most dynamic mobile handset market with more than 40% growth in the mobile subscriber base in the next three years (2008-2010).

Posted to the site on 8th September 2008