Samsung Makes Strides in Mobile Phone Sales
Posted by: Ihlwan Moon on April 23, 2007
Mobile phone makers’ first quarter shipments have typically been weak because of a drop in demand following a year-end shopping spree. Yet Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 3 cell phone maker, bucked the trend by increasing sales by 9.1% to 34.8 million units in the January-March period from the previous quarter. That marked the South Korean company’s record quarterly sales.
Researcher iSuppli says global mobile phone sales fell 12.8% to 253 million units in the first quarter of this year, with all but Samsung reporting a fall in shipments among the world’s top five players. No. 2 Motorola showed the weakest performance with a 30.9% quarter-on-quarter plunge. No. 4 maker Sony Ericsson fell by 16.2%, No. 5 LG fell by 6.5% while leader Nokia fell by 13.6%.
Industry analysts note Motorola’s loss is benefiting every other major player. Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG are stepping up their efforts to move into low-cost phones to increase their presence in fast-growing emerging markets. Year-on-year, Sony Ericsson posted a whopping 63.9% shipment rise in the first quarter. Gains were 21.3% for Nokia, 20% for Samsung and 1.3% for LG, according to iSuppli.
