1st Qtr Mobile phone sales higher then expected

[Fire14]

USA Handset Sales Reached US$2.3 Billion in Q1 2006

According to The NPD Group, mobile phone sales to consumers in the U.S. reached 34.8 million units in the first quarter of 2006. This number represents an increase of more than 11% compared to sales during the same period in 2005. NPD estimates total first quarter 2006 consumer sales of nearly $2.3 billion.

"Surprisingly, the U.S. handset market continued its strong surge in the first quarter," said Neil Strother, research director for mobile devices at The NPD Group. "Normally, there is a seasonal drop in the first quarter after the holiday rush; however, these numbers reflect a very healthy market, and we're seeing strong demand for replacement models and from new subscribers."

According to NPD's Mobile Phone Track, Motorola continued its leadership in the USA market during the first quarter, boosting its share sequentially from 27% to 29% as it continued to ride the success of its popular RAZR models. Nokia and Samsung followed with 18% with LG at 15%.



Following is the breakdown of top 10 manufacturers' first quarter 2006 market shares

Motorola 29%

Nokia 18%

Samsung 18%

LG 15%

Kyocera 4%

Sanyo 3%

Sony Ericsson 3%

UTStarcom (Audiovox) 2%

RIM >1%

Palm >1%

In the GSM market, Motorola led the pack with a 39% share of the market, followed by Nokia with 24% and Samsung with 16%. During the first quarter, LG was the leader in CDMA handsets with a 31% market share, Samsung reached 20% and Motorola in third place at 13%.

Among the most popular mobile phone features, sales of Bluetooth-enabled devices have increased significantly in the last year. The number of handsets sold equipped with this short-range wireless technology have risen dramatically from 9% in the second quarter of 2005 to 18% in the first quarter of this year.

[bobolito]

I'm surprised Sony Ericsson has such a small share. Their phones are pretty good.