Cell Phone Shipments Up For First Time In Nine Months

July 31, 2009

The cell phone market rose in the second quarter for the first time since the third quarter of last year.

The modest rise – 4.7 percent from the first quarter, according to iSuppli – suggests that the mobile business hit a bottom in the past quarter and has begun a slow upswing.

Vendors shipped 265 million phones, up from 253 in the first quarter. Shipments were down 16 percent in the first quarter and 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter.

ISuppli says it expects a larger 6 percent rise in the third quarter and an 8.3 percent rise in the fourth quarter. For all of 2009, sales will be down almost 10 percent from 2008.

Lifting sales in the second quarter was strength in the emerging markets of the Middle East and Latin America. Promotional campaigns helped business in North America.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Smart Phones Are A Bright Spot In A Dull Year

March 4, 2009

Mobile handset sales will plunge 10 percent or more this year, but smart phones, like Apple’s iPhone, will prosper.

Bucking the magnetic effect of the downturn, smart phone sales measured by units are expected to rise as much as 11 percent, says iSuppli.

For growth to reach this level, network operators must cut fees for data services and offer aggressive reductions in phone prices, said Tina Teng, a senior analyst.

If they don’t, and if consumer confidence continues to erode, then sales would rise 6 percent.

In any event, between 183.9 million and 192.3 million units will ship in the year, says iSuppli. That would represent between 16.6 percent and 17.4 percent of the overall market.

Growth could increase in 2010.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

UK Telecoms Said To Be Fuming At Nokia For Adding Skype To Phones

February 27, 2009

Two mobile service providers in the U.K. are apparently smoking mad over Nokia’s decision to install Skype on its flagship Nseries phones.

Mobile operator Orange said to be turning red over Nokia decision

Mobile operator Orange said to be turning red over Nokia decision

Nokia said earlier this month the N97 would be the first handset out the door with the Internet calling software in the third quarter.

Several published stories, including one on Mobile Today in the U.K., said mobile carriers Orange and O2 may refuse to stock the phones.

Service providers fear users will favor making free calls over the Internet with Skype, which is owned by eBay, instead of paid calls on the cellular network.

“This is another example of them trying to build an ecosystem that is all about Nokia and reduced the operator to a dumb pipe,” according to one anonymous source.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Do Mobile Subscribers Flock Together? Then Why Do T-Mobile Subscribers Favor IM and AT&T Subscribers Mobile E-Mail?

November 4, 2008
Mobile IM is popular at T-Mobile

Mobile IM is popular at T-Mobile

This theory makes no sense to me. But according to a study at ABI Research, T-Mobile subscribers in the U.S. are the most frequent users of mobile instant messaging.

And AT&T and Sprint subscribers are the greatest users of mobile e-mail. Meanwhile, Verizon wireless customers adopters of picture messaging services more than others.

The study was released Tuesday and observed that technology adoption doesn’t always follow expected usage patterns. A high percentage of T-Mobile subscribers, for instance, work in offices and favor the use of mobile IM even though they probably have PCs in front of them and could use the computer just as easily as the phone.

Demographics drives adoption, the study found.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

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