Mobile market returns to growth, research finds

Posted by Jessie Richards

The worldwide mobile phone communication market ended last year with a return to growth, IT outsourcing users have been told.

According to the Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, published by industry analyst IDC, the mobile phone market expanded by 11.3 per in the final three months of 2009, bringing to an end five quarters of contraction.

The report also revealed that 325.3 million units were shipped during the quarter, growing from the 292.4 million reported in the last three months of 2008.

Senior research analyst Kevin Restivo said that the mobile phone market has experienced a "dramatic" rebound, driven mainly by the popularity of smartphones and messaging devices.

Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's mobile devices technology and trends team, also claimed the converged mobile device market demonstrated consistent growth throughout 2009.

"Consumer tastes for mobile phones have increasingly shifted from simple voice telephony to greater data usage," he commented.

IDC recently said that significant growth is likely to be seen in the smartphone market in the coming years, with 390 million units expected to be shipped by 2013.