Skip to main content

3Q05 Worldwide Mobile Phone Market

New product introductions, portfolio refreshes, and exciting new form factors helped spur growth in the worldwide mobile phone market during the third quarter of 2005. According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, worldwide mobile phone shipments rose 19.1 percent year over year and increased sequentially 8.8 percent in 3Q05 to reach 208.3 million units.

Year-over-year growth increased substantially over the prior two quarters, signaling a balance against slower growth during the first half of the year. Each of the top 5 vendors within the industry reached all-time-high shipment levels and maintained the same rankings from the previous quarter.

"Last year, quarterly mobile phone shipments didn't reach 200 million units until the end of the fourth quarter when vendors were keeping the channels' shelves stocked for the holiday rush. As vendors announced new products earlier this year and accelerated their time to market, we've already reached this milestone," said Ramon Llamas, research analyst for IDC's Mobile Devices team.

The extensive introduction of new devices from a number of vendors in markets worldwide to fit the full spectrum of market segments fueled healthy growth in 3Q and ensured comprehensive early visibility and availability of devices for 4Q to meet the seasonal increase in demand and spending. As in previous quarters, Western Europe was a leading region with regard to new device launches.

Popular posts from this blog

Why 2025 Will Redefine Mobile Connectivity

As international travel rebounds to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, the mobile communication roaming market is at an inflection point. Emerging technologies and changing customer preferences are challenging traditional wholesale roaming agreements between mobile network operators (MNOs). The global wholesale roaming market is projected to more than double, from $9 billion in 2024 to $20 billion by 2028. This surge will be fueled by the expanding deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) technology, which enables real-time roaming connections and activity monitoring. But beneath this headline figure lies a complex landscape of regional variations and technological mobile service disruptions. Global Mobile Roaming Market Development Western Europe dominates inbound roaming connections, largely thanks to its Roam Like at Home (RLAH) initiative, which eliminates roaming charges among member countries.  Meanwhile, the Indian Subcontinent is emerging as a growth hotspot. Between 2024 and 2029, inbou...