Eight percent of U.S. adults owned a tablet device in May, up from the 5 percent that reported having one in November 2010, according to research by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

Meanwhile, ownership of e-reader devices stood at around 12 percent, the research center said. Adoption of such devices continues to grow at a faster rate than tablets, having doubled from 6 percent market penetration in November of last year. In addition, hree percent of survey respondents reported owning both an e-reader and a tablet.

In terms of overall penetration, however, e-readers and tablets continue to lag behind devices such as cellphones and laptops. Of the 2,277 respondents Pew surveyed for the research, 83 percent reported owning the former, and 56 percent the latter. MP3 player ownership stood at around 44 percent, meanwhile.

­West and Central Africa represents one of the fastest-growing mobile communications market in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past few years, the region has witnessed a dramatic increase in mobile subscriptions due mainly to the surge in mobile subscriptions in Nigeria. The low levels of mobile broadband penetration in the region indicate that there is room for growth.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the mobile communications markets in Nigeria, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast earned combined revenues of $8.6 billion in 2009 and estimates this to reach $12.6 billion in 2016. From approximately 92.6 million in 2009, mobile subscribers are expected to grow to 172.4 million in 2015.

­According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, worldwide camera phone sales will exceed 1 billion units for the first time in 2011. The fastest growing segment will be the high-tier camera phone market with sensors of eight megapixels and above.

Neil Shah, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "We forecast worldwide camera phone sales to grow 21 percent from 918 million units in 2010 to 1114 million units in 2011. This year will be the first time annual volumes of camera phones have exceeded the 1-billion mark. Some 4.2 billion camera phones have been sold cumulatively worldwide since 2000 and they are one of the most successful mobile products ever developed."

Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "The fastest growing segment of the camera phone market will be the high-tier. We forecast camera phones with sensors of eight megapixels and above to grow a healthy 240 percent worldwide during 2011. Smartphone vendors, such as Nokia and HTC, are increasingly loading their flagship models with more megapixels to deliver improved imaging quality for premium operator services like augmented reality."

Source: Cellular News

­Although smartphones get all the attention, many consumers still continue to purchase less-expensive feature phones. In 2010, feature phones comprised over 75% of the handset market. Consumers purchase feature phones for a variety of reasons including the need for a device that is optimized for a specific application, such as messaging.

"A messaging phone is a feature phone that has been enhanced for messaging services including SMS, MMS, mobile email, and mobile IM. These devices have a QWERTY keyboard and other capabilities at a price that is usually more affordable than a smartphone," says ABI Research senior analyst Victoria Fodale. "Mobile phones for messaging will encompass an increasing percentage of feature phone shipments, growing to almost a third of the category by 2015."

Practice director Kevin Burden adds, "Mobile phones optimized for messaging are targeted to specific markets including consumers in developing regions who need affordable solutions for messaging and mobile Internet services."

"In the developing regions of Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, access to mobile broadband often outstrips fixed-line broadband access," says Fodale. "For many users in those regions, their only Internet experience may be via a mobile phone."

Extending the mobile Internet to feature phone users where connectivity is costly and slow is a growing trend. Recently Facebook launched a mobile app to extend its reach to feature phones. The Facebook for Feature Phones app works on more than 2,500 mobile devices from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and other OEMs. The app was built in cooperation with Snaptu, a London-based company that provides a free mobile application platform.

Source: Cellular News

Vodafone Essar Ltd. has unveiled a solar-powered mobile handset in India to better serve the nation's energy-starved rural masses. India has been adding nearly 20 million mobile subscribers each month, many of them in rural areas, where electricity supply can be patchy at best.

A third of Indians don't have access to electricity, but they do get plenty of sun. Samsung launched a solar-powered handset about a year ago, and Vodafone is now joining in the effort to bridge that infrastructure gap.

"This launch is likely to enable more people in rural India to go mobile," Vodafone Essar Chief Executive Marten Pieters said in a statement. The VF 247 Solar Powered phone, priced at 1,500 rupees ($32), should be available in stores next month.

It needs eight hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged and can support more than eight days of use on standby and four hours of talk time. It also comes with an electronic charger, an FM radio and a powerful torch light. Vodafone Essar, a leading wireless provider in India, is a unit of Vodafone Group PLC.

Source: Cellular News

The cheaper, the better seems to be the flavor of the season. After the launch of the cheapest mobile by Vodafone recently, a new handset has been launched in Venezuela claiming itself to be the cheapest and perhaps the cheapest mobile in the world. The phone has a camera, WAP internet access, FM radio and MP3 and MP4 players for music and videos, all of this at a price of $15 (nearly £10).

The handset has been launched by the president of the country, Hugo Chavez on the occasion of Mothers Day. Vergatorio, the name given to the handset has been predicted as the best seller worldwide. Vergatorio might emerge as an instant hit because as the retail price has been cut by government subsidy to a quarter of the manufacturing cost.

The waiting list for the first 10,000 units is expected to be released this week and production this year has been set at 600,000, rising to 2 million in 2011. According to Hugo Chavez, this telephone will be the biggest seller not only in Venezuela but the world and that whoever doesn’t have a Vergatario is nothing.

Source: Wireless Federation.

­Uganda's politicians have voted down a proposal to scrap a sales tax on mobile phones following concerns from the government that it needs the revenues the taxes generate.

"I request Parliament to reject the proposal to scrap taxes on mobile phone because it will affect our revenue," Finance Minister, Ms Syda Bbumba said.The opposition politicians who proposed scrapping the taxes had argeued that expanding mobile phone usage into rural areas would be affected by the tax.

Mr Oduman MP said, "The issue of losing revenue doesn't arise because the government will be charging more taxes on airtime used by mobile phone users, hence widening the tax base."

Phone dealers have long argued for the tax to be scrapped, citing increased levels of grey imports and smuggling from the neighbouring countries. The concerns were heightened with neighbouring Kenya lowered its taxes on mobile phone handsets earlier this year.

The GSM Association has long called for a lowering of taxes on mobile phone handsets and airtime, arguing that the lower costs boosts the user base and hence leads to a net increase in revenue for governments.

A recent report from the GSMA said that mobile subscribers across East Africa are taxed at some of the highest levels world-wide. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania impose mobile-specific taxes which when added to VAT can result in their respective consumers facing taxes as high as 30% in Uganda and Tanzania, and 27% in Kenya, considerably the highest rates in Africa (and the among the highest across the world as a whole).

Source: Cellular News

The Switzerland based mobile operator Swisscom anticipates to have nearly 300,000 iPhone subscribers, after the operator launches iPhone 3G S across the nation next week. According to the prediction it is estimated that by 2009-end around 500,000 Swiss mobile subscribers will have an iPhone with Swisscom’s competitors Sunrise and Orange Switzerland currently having 20,000 and 100,000 iPhone subscribers. It is also expected that the number of smartphone users will reach 1 million mark by 2009-end as the sales of smartphone handsets will grow.

Source: Wireless Federation.

The cost of buying a mobile phone in Kenya has dropped sharply after the government waived the import duty on mobile phones. Kenya's Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta cut the 16% VAT on new phone handsets in the government's budget statement - along with reducing import duties on a whole range of other products.

A recent report from the GSMA said that mobile subscribers across East Africa are taxed at some of the highest levels world-wide. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania impose mobile-specific taxes which when added to VAT can result in their respective consumers facing taxes as high as 30% in Uganda and Tanzania, and 27% in Kenya, considerably the highest rates in Africa (and the among the highest across the world as a whole).

Source: Cellular News.

Nokia has revealed three lower end phones, all priced tagged below 100 euros. The firm said it would start shipments of the new models in the third and fourth quarters.

Nokia 2730 Classic (3G) for 80 euros.

Nokia 7020 for 90 euros

Nokia 2720 Fold 55 euros

Nokia said all new models would be equipped to access Internet, and work with Nokia’s range of emerging market services.

Source: Wireless Federation.

­Taiwan's mobile phone market is forecast to shrink by 9.3% to around 6.4 million units. The Taipei-based Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) puts the shrinkage down to slower handset replacements due to the economic downturn. Some 80% of the Taiwanese market depends on replacement sales.

As for the Taiwanese mobile phone market in 2008, with the exception of the first quarter which saw year-on-year growth in sales, the other three quarters all posted sales declines compared with the same periods in the previous year. Taiwanese mobile phone market volume in the fourth quarter of 2008 was 1.70 million units, down 5.9% sequentially and 4.7% year-on-year. Taiwanese mobile phone ASP (Average Selling Price) was on the decline as well, mainly owing to the fact that Taiwanese mobile phone users mostly chose to obtain free phones when renewing their subscriptions.

Meanwhile, the number of 3G subscribers saw steady growth in 2008. Boosted by mobile operators' subsidy policies for 3G phones and Smartphones, the sales of 3G phones accounted for 49.7% of the overall Taiwanese mobile phone market volume, while the sales of Smartphones inched up to over 5% of the overall market volume.

Source: Cellular News.

­The global economic downturn had a significant impact on the mobile phone industry as worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totalled 314.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008, a 4.6 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2007, according to Gartner. Manufacturers continued to struggle against low consumer confidence in both emerging and mature markets.

The top five mobile phone vendors all experienced a decline in sales in the fourth quarter of 2008. The industry did experience growth for the year, with worldwide mobile phone sales to end users surpassing 1.22 billion units in 2008, a 6 per cent increase over 2007 sales.

Vendor Overview

Nokia sold nearly 119 million mobile phones in the fourth quarter of 2008, giving it a market share of 37.7 per cent. This was a decline both sequentially and year-on-year. With sales in emerging markets slowing due to the economic environment, Nokia felt more pressure in the second half of 2008. Nokia’s delay in rolling out products with touchscreen functionality caused its smartphone sales to suffer.

Samsung finished a strong year with a good performance. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Samsung was able to grow share sequentially and also year on year, as products such as the Tocco, Innov8 and Omnia continued to drive sales in regions such as Western Europe and Asia/Pacific. Samsung's quick response to demand for touch interfaces was the main reason for its success.

After a blip in the third quarter of 2008, when LG lost its fourth place to Motorola, LG was able to get back on track and jump two places to No. 3 in the fourth quarter of 2008 worldwide market share. In the fourth quarter, LG moved into second place in North America, due to its dominant position at Verizon Wireless and very strong sales at TracFone. In India, LG got back into Reliance Communication after issues it had in the third quarter of 2008, and it was actually able to burn some inventory during the quarter.

As we predicted, Sony Ericsson was unable to hold on to the third position in the worldwide ranking, which it reached in the third quarter of 2008. In the fourth quarter, its sales dropped to 23.6 million units, putting it in fourth place. Not only did Sony Ericsson fail to reduce stock levels in the fourth quarter, it also built a slight inventory. As both music players and cameras have become more widespread in the competitors' portfolios, it has been more difficult for Sony Ericsson's Walkman and Cybershot product ranges to stand out. Lack of pure touchscreen devices also impacted overall performance in 2008.

Motorola's performance worsened in the fourth quarter of 2008, when it slipped to fifth place in the worldwide ranking. Some reductions in inventory helped Motorola finish the year in third position with sales that were close to 107 million units. The drop in market share on a year-to-year basis (-5.6 percentage points) is a clear indication of the troubled times the vendor has been facing. Lack of compelling products throughout the portfolio has made it impossible for Motorola to slow down its sales decline. It has been losing share in all key regions because it lacks 3G products and touchscreen devices, and has poor support for "hot" features, such as GPS.

Source: Cellular News.

­The worldwide mobile phone market experienced an unusual downturn in the normally robust fourth quarter of 2008 (4Q08). According to IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 289.0 million units, 12.6% lower than the 330.8 million units shipped during 4Q07. For the full year 2008, vendors shipped a total of 1.18 billion units worldwide, 3.5% greater than the 1.14 billion units shipped during 2007.

­According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments fell 10 percent year-over-year, to reach 295 million units in Q4 2008. An economic downturn in developed and emerging markets caused the industry’s slowest growth rate since 2001.

Bonny Joy, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics said, “Global mobile phone shipments fell to 295 million units during Q4 2008, down a significant 10 percent from 329 million units in Q4 2007. An economic downturn in developed and developing markets caused the industry’s slowest growth rate since Q4 2001. Retailers have been de-stocking due to credit tightness, while consumers delayed purchases because of fears of a recession.”

Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Three of the big 5 cellphone vendors recorded negative annual growth rates in Q4 2008. Motorola declined 54 percent, Sony Ericsson 21 percent and Nokia 15 percent. With volumes and revenues contracting sharply this year, much of the mobile industry’s focus will inevitably be on controlling costs and restoring profitability during 2009.”

Global Mobile Handset Shipments and Marketshare – Top 5 Vendors

Myanmar will soon experience, the price for owning a mobile phone being much less than using the device. The state-owned mobile operators in Myanmar plan to sell cheaper SIM cards with a tenfold rise in call tariffs. The sale of new SIM cards will begin from Dec. 12 priced at $50-25 times less than the price at present. The new SIM cards will carry a talktime of $10 and the calls will cost $0.30/min up from $0.03/min for otugoing domestic calls and the incoming call s will cost $0.05/min.

Under the current Myanmar system, a military rule, not everyone is entitled to an officially sanctioned mobile phone, which costs $1,250.

Source: Wireless Federation.

The slowing U.S. economy will likely speed up the ongoing shift to wireless-only phone service as consumers cut back on spending, analysts say.

Already the number of young adults and others who use only mobile phones and dump traditional landline service has been growing steadily. Studies put the number of wireless-only households near 15% heading into 2008, with the figure rising 2% to 3% a year.

The biggest wireless-only group, under-30 adults, tend to be big spenders on wireless and heavy users of text messaging. They like the convenience and mobility of wireless services.

The economic downturn adds a new factor to the decision to go all-wireless.

The big question is how many budget-conscious users might switch to wireless-only because of the economy, analysts say. Lower-income consumers, especially those without children at home, are most likely to cut the cord, analysts say.

Source: Cellular News.

The market share of handsets supporting WCDMA and HSDPA networks increased remarkably in South Korea in 2007. The latest research report released by ROA Group found out that 30.7% of the handsets launched in 2007 supported WCDMA and HSDPA networks, while the figure was a mere 4% in 2006. Also the proportion of handsets supporting mobile WiMAX (WiBro) increased compared to the previous year.

In terms of manufacturers, LG released more models compared to 2006, and was able to increase its market share in the domestic market by 6%, to 26%, while that of Samsung remained the same, occupying 50% of the South Korean market. As the cut-throat competition between the manufacturers and mobile operators intensifies, the market witnessed a drop in the average retail price compared to 2006, with the market share of high-end handsets decreasing to 40.4%.

There was also a notable increase in Bluetooth installment, sub-camera, Video on Demand (VOD), Video Telephony and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) support. More and more handsets are equipped with Universal Subscription Identity Module (USIM) card, enabling mobile payment services, and this segment is expected to grow in South Korea as cooperation between mobile operators, card issuers and commercial banks strengthens in the market.

Among form factors, ROA Group believes that slim trend will continue and the adoption of touch screen will widespread further. The expansion of WCDMA and HSDPA networks will enable more innovative multimedia services, resulting in the acceleration of mobile Internet usage and interaction between content and end-user, says David Kim, chief consultant at ROA Group Korea.

Source: Cellular News.

China's CCID Consulting, has reported that with the drive of export and domestic demands, China's mobile phone output continues to grow in 2007, reaching 554 million sets, with a growth rate of 25.4%. The export volume wass 322 million sets, which accounts for 58.2% of all phones made in the country. Currently, China's global mobile phone manufacturing base is quite steady. Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have transferred their capacities to China; because of this factor, the export volume of China's mobile phone increases 26.2%. Meanwhile, China's domestic mobile phone enterprises' capacity increases are evident, especially ZTE, Huawei and K-Touch.

Brand Structure

The size of China's mobile phone chip market reached 84.41 billion Yuan in 2007, up 23.9% over 2006.

Source: Cellular News.

A survey carried out in Nigeria's capital, Abuja has indicated a growing demand in the GSM dominated market for CDMA based mobile phones. The survey, carried out by local newspaper The Tide cited the regular problems with network congestion on the GSM networks in the city for the increased interest in CDMA operators. Currently there are four CDMA operators in the city, Multi-links, Visafone, Starcomms and Reltel.

The respondents hinged their optimism on clarity of communication and affordability of CDMA phones, when compared with GSM phones.

"For instance, with as little as N1,500, you can get a phone and a line on the CDMA network, while for a GSM line, a subscriber may need to pay at least twice that amount," claimed respondents to the survey.

Mr Wakili Shehu, a telecommunications consultant said that "the technology also provides the capacity for quicker transmission of data and Internet, unlike the GSM which has limited capacity," but he warned that the use of the CDMA technology in the country was also fraught with challenges, such as limited coverage of cities and towns, unlike the GSM.

According to figures from the Mobile World database, Nigeria ended Q1 '08 with some 567,000 active CDMA subscribers - compared to some 43 million GSM users.

Source: Cellular News.

Celtel Malawi has announced that it has reduced the cost of its cheapest handset by 35%, from USD25 to USD16. The move follows the government's eradication of a 25% customs and excise duty on imported handsets and cellular network equipment. According to TeleGeography's GlobalComms database, the cellco is the country's largest company by subscribers, claiming a 69% market share at the end of March 2008, with Telekom Networks Malawi accounting for the remainder.

Source: TeleGeography.

The CDMA Development Group (CDG) has announced that, as of Q1 2008, Indonesia had more than 16.3 million CDMA2000 subscribers -- making it the leader in Southeast Asia for 3G CDMA subscriber growth. The CDG attributes the increase in large part to the availability of ultra low-cost handsets and affordable tariffs, which are critical to technology and service expansion in emerging markets. "Indonesia has emerged as a prime showcase of CDMA2000's core value proposition," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "With a dynamic combination of ultra low-cost handsets and value-added broadband services, Indonesia's six CDMA operators have boosted their revenue streams and propelled the region into the spotlight for mobile telephony and Internet growth."

Indonesia's CDMA2000 operators are Telkom Flexi (PT Telkom), StarOne (Indosat), Smart Telecom, Fren (Mobile-8 Telecom), Esia (Bakrie Telecom) and Ceria (Sampoerna Telekomunikasi Indonesia or STI). By March 2008, the total number of CDMA2000 subscribers among all six carriers exceeded 16.3 million, up from 14.4 million at the end of 2007 and 7.8 million at the end of 2006, representing annual growth rates of 53 percent and 85 percent, respectively.

Indonesia has the highest number of CDMA subscribers in Southeast Asia. "With CDMA2000, we are confident in providing a telecommunication service that is within reach by all people from all levels of society," said A.R. Martirez, Chief Executive Officer of PT Smart Telecom. "We are taking rapid steps to expand our penetration and market development through various products and services. This proves that CDMA2000 can readily fulfill all telecommunication wants and needs of customers in this country. And we demonstrate this with our value-for-money offer to the market, in terms of an economical tariff and affordable handsets, on a network that provides a pervasive yet efficient coverage. Best of all, it delivers a superior quality of service in both Voice and Data that customers expect."

Source: Cellular News.

According to IDC India, close to 85 million mobile phones were shipped in India between April 2007 and March 2008, compared to just under 66 million units shipped over the equivalent period a year ago. This was a record and amounts to a year-on-year growth of around 29 percent in terms of units.

Source: Cellular News.

A recent report published by Dell’Oro Group revealed that although GSM was not the largest contributor to the growth of the total mobility infrastructure market during the first quarter of 2008, it grew nearly 10 percent over the year ago quarter. Driving the growth of the GSM market was the second largest number ever of base station shipments, exceeded only by the previous quarter, and the stabilization of equipment prices.

“For the first time, Asia Pacific represented over half of all GSM revenue,” stated Scott Siegler, Analyst of Mobility Infrastructure research at Dell’Oro Group. “Business in this highly price-sensitive region has resulted in double-digit quarter-to-quarter price reductions for the previous three quarters. Over these past several quarters, ASP’s were pushed downward as vendors sold equipment at exceptionally steep discounts in order to establish and expand their footprint in the region. This quarter, in contrast, vendors became more selective in the deals they were accepting, balancing the economics of the sale with their gain in market share. For the first time in four quarters we have seen ASP’s begin to stabilize,” Siegler continued.

The report also shows that the strong growth in GSM revenue offset the declines in the CDMA market which took a notable plunge during the first quarter.

Source: Cellular News.

OKYO -(Dow Jones)- Softbank's mobile phone unit claimed the top spot in terms of net subscriber growth in May, pulling in more than double the number of net contracts garnered by bigger rivals NTT DoCoMo and KDDI.

Third-ranked Softbank, which this week announced a deal to sell Apple's popular iPhone, may be starting to significantly reduce the gap between it and second-ranked KDDI in Japan's intensely competitive mobile carrier market.

Data released Friday on new subscription contracts signed by Japan's three major cell phone carriers showed that Softbank Mobile gained a net 173,700 subscribers to its mobile phone service during the just-ended month, by far outpacing the net 72,400 that KDDI gained and the 60,900 subscribers that NTT DoCoMo pulled in.

In April, Softbank Mobile also won the battle for subscribers by a significant margin, picking up a net 192,900 contacts compared with a net 96,000 gain for DoCoMo and a 118,700 net fall in subscribers for KDDI, due to the termination of its so-called Tu-Ka service.

At the end of May, Softbank had about 18.95 million subscribers, while KDDI had about 30.29 million contracts.

However, both companies still have a long way to go to catch up with market leader DoCoMo, which reported 53.54 million users at the end of May.

The race to attract new subscribers is likely to heat up over the coming months, with all three companies rolling out new products and strategies to compete in Japan's saturated mobile service market.

Earlier this week, Softbank said it would begin selling the iPhone brand in Japan by the end of the year, scoring a blow against DoCoMo, which until that point had been expected to be the first to report a deal with the U.S. firm.

Not to be outdone by Softbank's aggressive marketing campaign, which features household names Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz using the company's products, DoCoMo late last month launched 19 handsets for its 906i and 706i series in an attempt to widen the array of phones it offers.

Source: Cellular News.

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Global Sales of mobile smartphones for the first three months of 2008 rose 29% on year, according to a report by Gartner released Friday.

Worldwide sales notched 32.2 million units, accounting for 11% of the global mobile device market, the report said. Nokia cornered a 45% share of the market, with sales up 25% on year.

"Nokia continued to maintain its leadership due to the variety of its smartphone portfolio, which includes a number of both high-end and mid-tier models available at different price points," Gartner said.

Research in Motion was the second-biggest smartphone vendor with 13.4% of the market driven by sales of the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, while Apple was the third-largest vendor with a 5.3% share in the market. Smartphones are mobile phones that offer advanced capabilities often like functions in a personal computer.

Source: Cellular News.

Brazil and Mexico will represent the largest opportunities in the Latin American mobile market, with a combined CAGR of 7% over the next five years. Together they will account for half of all sales in the region, says Pyramid Research in a new report. “Brazil and Mexico represent a significant proportion of the region’s mobile subscribers, accounting for 49% of the total,” comments Omar Salvador, Senior Analyst at Pyramid and author of the report.

Pyramid Research expects Brazil’s share of the region’s subscriptions to gain two percentage points. Peru will also make impressive gains, surpassing Chile in terms of overall subscriber numbers to take the number six spot in the region. Venezuela has overtaken Argentina to assume the third spot in the region. At the same time, the report found that mature markets such as Argentina, Chile and Colombia that have penetration rates above 75% - more than 10% higher than the regional average - will become smaller slices of the growing Latin American pie.

Latin America’s handset market is undergoing a transformation, with users upgrading from voice-only phones to phones with music and camera capabilities. The music category quadrupled handset sales since 2005, representing 17% of total handset sold in the region in 2007. Sony Ericsson and Nokia are the most active and successful in this segment, while other manufacturers are adjusting their portfolios to compete more effectively.

Pyramid expects the music-enabled category to almost triple in size, from 40m handsets sold in 2008 to 115m in 2012, when it will account for 58% of total handsets sales.

Source: Cellulat News.

According to the retailer, around a third of customers brought handsets in the US$93-$188 price range - a rise of 24% over the past year. The company said that Nokia was the main beneficiary of the move up market as its market share rose by 10 percent.

Samsung Mobile's Director in Vietnam, Nguyen Hong Chau predicted that reasonably-priced products would account for as much as 60 percent of total market sales this year with mobile producers trying to develop new products to cater to different market segments.

The Mobile World analysts estimate that Vietnam ended last year with some 35.7 million subscribers (29.4m GSM, 6.3m CDMA) - representing a population penetration level of 42%.

Source: Cellular News.

The growth areas for this market in coming years will be found where Wi-Fi chips are embedded in more and more device types. Wi-Fi IC vendors should tailor their strategies accordingly. Consumer electronics (home theater equipment, gaming devices, portable media players), mobile handsets and computer peripherals will all see increased rates of Wi-Fi penetration. "While CE products will initially see more Wi-Fi inclusion," Solis continues, "we expect that by 2011 they will be overtaken by mobile handsets. Mobile Internet devices (MIDs) will become increasingly significant as well."

Source: Cellular News.

The global handset market is forecast to see slowing growth for 2008, with year-on-year growth only achieving 5.7% according to the IMS Research Online Cellular Database. This is significantly lower than previous years, which enjoyed double digit growth. Shipments for new handsets are forecast to hit 1.19 billion for 2008, up from 1.12 billion in 2007.

The region that will experience the least impact is Asia, with China and India continuing to perform strongly, resulting in 10.7 percent growth from 2007 to 2008. The Americas will only experience 7% growth, largely as a result of economic challenges being faced in the US. Europe is forecast to experience negative growth at -1.2%, largely due to challenges being faced by the large number of highly penetrated markets.

Source: Cellular News.

Reportlinker has issued a new report, which notes that in 2007, China mobile phone output reached approximately 594.4 million units, among which, 548 million units were legal products from official mobile phone producers and 46.4 million units were illegal products.

In 2007, sales volume reached 180.7 million units, amounting to 16% of the world total. In the same year, the global mobile phone output reached 1.141 billion units, of which 52 percent was from the Mainland China, exceeding 50% for the first time.

In the first half of 2007, the mobile phone output in the Mainland China totaled 266.8 million units, up 33.4% year on year and its combined sales revenue stood at CNY161.08 billion, up 29.6% year on year. Among the total output, 32.8 million were for CDMA mode, 234 million for GSM mode. Domestic sales volume reached 83 million units and exports arrived at 183.8 million.

In the later half of 2007, mobile phone production reached 327.6 million units, of which 230.2 million units were for exports, and 97.4 million for domestic sales.

Source: Cellular News.

The latest market data from analyst firm Canalys shows how much the converged device market (all smart phones and wireless handhelds) has grown over the past year. These, typically high-end, devices represented around 10% of the global mobile phone market by units in 2007, with annual growth of 60% making them one of the fastest growing segments of the technology industry. Year-on-year growth climbed every quarter throughout 2007, to reach a peak of 72% in Q4.

Apple's entry into this market in 2007 with the iPhone sparked a lot of media attention and speculation about how much it could disrupt the status quo and take share away from companies such as Nokia, RIM, Palm and Motorola.

Market shares Q4 2007, Q4 2006

Source: Cellular News.