Mobile phone market stays strong
By Candace Lombardi
news.com.com
Story last modified Thu Apr 20 09:18:49 PDT 2006
Despite a slight seasonal decline, worldwide shipments of cell phones rose 26 percent in the first quarter of 2006 compared with the same period last year, according to research firm IDC.
A total of 226.7 million mobile phones were shipped, as the global market continues to thrive on consumers replacing older phones with new purchases, said a study from IDC released Thursday.
Nokia held its top spot, retaining a third of the global market share and enjoying 39.6 percent growth. Motorola posted a 60.6 percent gain for the quarter, boosted by its new Razr models, which have continued to propel sales. Motorola controls 16 percent of the market.
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Samsung, while still holding third with more than 29 million phones shipped, slipped in sales. It showed only 12.8 percent growth, down from 13.6 percent in 2005.
LG Electronics came in fourth for market share, but experienced an operating loss for the quarter due to marketing expenses and fewer sales.
Despite a midyear slowdown in 2005 that IDC attributes to the government's crackdown on import tax evasion, Russia remains one of the most important handset markets in Europe. It has continued to expand due to replacement purchases and the luxury market. Retail prices have increased as a result, mirroring the mature growth pattern of other large European markets, IDC said. |
