Milton Keynes UK – Global
cellular handset shipments rose 17 percent in the first quarter to 350 million
units despite “mild” component shortages that will continue for at least the
next six to nine months, Strategy Analytics said.
This year will be the first in which handset shipments
exceed 300 million in every quarter, the market research company forecast.
Global handset sales
were driven by smartphones in mature regions and by multi-SIM models in
emerging markets, the company said. Despite the global rise, one major supplier
– LG — posted a shipment decline to 24.5 million units from a year-ago 27.1
million. All other suppliers among the top five in first-quarter unit volume
posted unit sales gains.
Strategy Analytics
also found that only two vendors among the top five posted share gains. They
were Apple and ZTE. Apple captured fourth place, rising from sixth place a year
earlier. Nokia and Samsung – the number one and two suppliers, respectively,
posted declining shares despite their rising volumes. (See table.)
During the quarter,
suppliers battled supply-chain disruptions related to the Japan earthquake and
ongoing “mild component constraints” in touchscreens, memory and cameras,
Strategy Analytics said. The supply constraints will continue for at least six
to nine months and will cause “restricted volumes or rising input prices for
some handset makers,” the company said. For now, however, “the operational
challenges posed by these parts constraints remain minor rather than major for
most players,” Strategy Analytics said.
