MEDIA RELEASE PR37523
Operator Strategies Will Fuel Smartphone Growth in Emerging Markets
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
The smartphone market will climb to 37 percent of global handset sales in 2014 with emerging markets as the
key growth engine, calling on operators and vendors to make the most of the opportunity, according to a new report
from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network
Smartphone Forecast: Operator Strategies Will Fuel Growth in Emerging Markets examines the state of the
global smartphone market today, focusing on operator and vendor strategies. It also looks at the intense struggle
for market dominance among the various software platforms: Symbian, BlackBerry OS, iPhone OS, Windows
Mobile, Android, and Palm's various systems. All this is put into context with an analysis of the mobile services
market and the overall handset market. The report investigates in detail the state of the smartphone markets in
eight crucial markets: Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S. These case studies
contain forecasts of such metrics as handset sales by generation, annual smartphone sell-through, and market
shares by operating system. Each one also contains detailed data on a key mobile operator in the market.
Purchase this report online
Pyramid estimates that smartphones will account for a growing share of total handset sales, expanding from 16
percent in 2009 to 37 percent in 2014, and will represent an enormous sales opportunity for vendors and service
providers across the globe, particularly in emerging markets, notes Omar Salvador, senior analyst at Pyramid
Research and lead author of the report.
"Although the U.S. continues to lead the globe in 2009 in smartphone sales, Pyramid expects China to capture
the number one position in 2010, driven by operators' aggressive promotion of smartphones using wider portfolios,
more attractive pricing for services and new initiatives," says Salvador. "Brazil, India, Turkey, and Nigeria will be the
fastest growing markets over the next five years with CAGRs of 43 percent, 39 percent, 37 percent, and 34
percent, respectively. Latin America will be the fastest growing region at a compound annual growth rate of 48
percent, followed by Africa and the Middle East with a 39 percent CAGR," he adds.
"With smartphone and data ARPS growth at the center of the strategies of operators and handset vendors, the
two will need to work together to make the most of the opportunity," says Salvador. "Understanding local conditions
will be vital for operators, smartphone vendors, and OS developers, as operator strategies differ substantively
across markets based on the method of payment (postpaid or prepaid), the prevalence of subsidies, the level of
competition, as well as the market shares of operating systems," he explains.
Smartphone Forecast: Operator Strategies Will Fuel Growth in Emerging Markets is part of Pyramid's research
report series. A blend of primary research and qualitative analysis, Pyramid's research reports offer comprehensive
coverage of the fixed and mobile communications space and enable those in the communications industry to stay
ahead of changing market dynamics.
This report is priced at US$2490 and can be purchased online here
r
by contacting Amalia Vega at avega@pyr.com or telephone at +1-619-229-9940.
For more information about Pyramid Research's products and services, please visit www.pyr.com or contact us
at info@pyr.com.
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
Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused
event company serving the US$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 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet
Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as 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
business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb
produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than
13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-
to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light
Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and
the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street &
Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including next-generation performance
marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a
global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than
US$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 distribution, targeting and monitoring;
and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and
serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders,
from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500
staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers
and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more
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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