- 30 January 2006 -

Record 810 million cell phones shipped in 2005

Despite moderate industry-wide component shortages, mobile phone shipments reached 245 million units in Q4/2005, according to the “Q4 2005 Global Handset Market Share Update report” from Strategy Analytics.

Motorola achieved 18% market share in Q4/2005. But with almost one in three of sales being the Razr V3 model, it is at risk of becoming a ‘one trick pony’. At 18%, the combined share of Korea’s Samsung (11%) and LG (7%) fell to its lowest in two years. Sony Ericsson became the fifth company to sell 50 million units per annum.

For 2005, shipments grew 19% year-over-year to a record 810 million. “2005 was the year of the emerging market. Booming demand in the Southern Hemisphere, in regions such as India and Africa, drove global mobile phone sales,” said Neil Mawston, associate director of the Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service. “Emerging markets accounted for one half of total worldwide sales in 2005.”

“Looking ahead to 2006, we expect 930 million mobile phones to be shipped worldwide,” said WDS director Chris Ambrosio. “The iconic one billion total will be surpassed in 2007 if emerging first-time buyers continue to surge and replacement rates in mature markets, such as North America, can be sustained.”

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