Two research companies have just released figures that say mobile phone shipments are increasing significantly. According to IDC, the worldwide mobile phone market grew 11.3% in the fourth quarter of 2009. It says 325.3 million mobiles were shipped in Q4 2009 compared to 292.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008. That's a total of 1.13 billion units worldwide in 2009, down 5.2% from the 1.19 billion units shipped in 2008.
Strategy Analytics says the worldwide market grew 10% year-on-year in Q4 to reach 324 million units; the first quarter of positive growth it had noted since Q3 2008.
Bonny Joy, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics said "Global mobile handset shipments reached 324 million units during Q4 2009, rising 10 percent from 294 million in Q4 2008. The ten-percent increase was the handset market’s first quarter of positive growth since Q3 2008, signalling an end to the industry’s recession which first began during Q4 2008 and lasted for four quarters."
Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Tracker, said "The mobile phone market has rebounded in dramatic fashion. The Asia/Pacific region and the United States were primarily responsible for pushing the market back into growth territory. Overall, vendors offered a wide array of converged mobile devices (smartphones) and messaging devices in the seasonally strong fourth quarter, to take advantage of increased user demand."
Both companies anticipate continuing recovery for the global handset market in 2010.