Phone shipment to reach 1.67bn

SHIPPING   TELECOMMUNICATIONS   FORECAST

Global -  Shipping of mobile handsets is expected to hit 1.67 billion by the end of the this year, with 3G and 4G devices making up more than half of the total mobile phone market.

ABI Research says this is an 8% increment in worldwide mobile phone shipment is driven by aggressive marketing of handset makers targeting the upwardly mobile consumer demographic in emerging markets.

The research firm noted that top phone makers are redoubling efforts to promote smartphone line-up to consumers since the second half of 2011.

Samsung has been making "substantial inroads" into emerging smartphone markets with its device segmentation strategy.

Market competitor Apple has also been expanding its sales channels in emerging markets. It is also targeting South American markets like Brazil.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is also doing well in messaging-centric emerging markets like Indonesia, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, the study showed.

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