MEDIA RELEASE PR35272
Latin America's Smartphone Market to Grow to 150 Million Handset Units through 2014, says
Pyramid
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 2 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Given the growing interest by operators in smartphones, intensified
competition among vendors, and the greater potential for growth in Latin
America compared with other regions, the region's smartphone segment will
represent an opportunity of 150 million handset units over the next five
years -- 48 million handsets units in 2014 alone, according to a new report
from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light
Smartphones in Latin America: Big Opportunities for Operators and
Suppliers examines the potential for growth in Latin America's smartphone
market, as well as the factors driving this trend, by analyzing operators'
and vendors' strategies. The 14-page report provides Pyramid Research's
five-year forecast on smartphone adoption in Latin America and looks at
vendor positioning, focusing on three cases, Nokia, Research in Motion, and
Apple, while also examining relevant moves by operators and the strategies of
the major handset vendors in the market, including marketing campaigns and
bundles. Download an excerpt of this report here:
Handset Forecasts are also available for 18 markets in Latin America,
tracking handset sell-through by technology, feature set, price tier, and
vendor, providing market share for 5 to 6 vendors per country. Learn more
The smartphone segment will become one of the most important
sources of data revenue growth over the next five years in Latin America,
notes Omar Salvador, Senior Analyst at Pyramid and author of the report. "The
market is still in its infancy, representing only 3 percent of total handset
unit sales in 2008; globally the figure was 12 percent," he says. "However,
Pyramid predicts the segment will grow from 7 million smartphones sold in
2009, representing 5.4 percent of total handsets sales, to 48 million in
2014, or 30 percent of the total," he adds.
"Given that Latin America's mobile subscriber growth rate
declined from 24 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2008, operators are more
interested than ever in increasing their ARPS and encouraging smartphone
uptake is an excellent approach to reaching that goal," Salvador says. "Vivo,
the leading player in Brazil, recently highlighted how crucial the smartphone
base is to its data revenue growth, while smartphone vendors are stepping up
competition in the region with aggressive tactics, including handset bundles,
new models, expanded entry-level portfolios, and close cooperation with
operators," he adds.
If competition intensifies among vendors and operators, service
bundling becomes more aggressive, the prices of entry-level smartphones fall
below $100, and touchscreen phones become available in the midlevel price
category, Pyramid believes smartphones can capture up to 39 percent of total
handsets sales in 2014. "These growth drivers, supported by the growing 3G
availability in Latin America, will push the Latin American smartphone market
up toward the global average of smartphone handsets as a percentage of total
handset sales," concludes Salvador.
Smartphones in Latin America: Big Opportunities for Operators and
Suppliers is part of Pyramid Research's Latin America Telecom Insider report
series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best
practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case
studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business
decisions.
Download an excerpt of this report here:
report is priced at $595 and can be purchased online here:
.5 or by contacting Jeff Claudino via email at claudino@pyr.com or telephone
at +1-619-229-9940.
About Pyramid Research
Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex
demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media and technology
industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of
emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered
by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries-a
distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years. As the
telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid
Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's
most comprehensive market data, trusted research and insightful technology
analysis.
About Light Reading
online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion
worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for
technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the
media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's
research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most
comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis
in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20
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focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives.
Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and
operates as a unit of TechWeb.
About TechWeb
technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of
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respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today,
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InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street &
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provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a
market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly
connections
About United Business Media Limited
UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information
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Press contact:
Jennifer Baker
+1 617 871-1910
jbaker@pyr.com
SOURCE: Pyramid Research
CONTACT: Jennifer Baker
+1-617-871-1910
jbaker@pyr.com
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