Asia-Pacific (AP) mobile phone shipments will hit 836
million in 2016, driven by growth in mobile users in the emerging markets and
the proliferation of broadband enabled handsets, according to Ovum.

The AP mobile handset market is set for steady growth of
2.8 per cent over the next five years, with shipments increasing by more than
128 million from 2011 to 2016. Globally, Ovum forecasts a growth of 2.5 per
cent over the next five years, with shipments growing by more than 230 million
from 2011 to 2016, forecasted to reach 1.77 billion in 2016.

Much of the growth in AP will be fuelled by mobile
connections in the emerging markets, where the number of mobile phone users
continues to steadily increase,” said Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach.

Within the region, the Big Three markets of China, India
and Indonesia will continue to be the growth engines for global mobile
connections and handset shipments.  The arrival of cheaper smartphones
into these markets is boosting smartphone penetration and data ARPU for operators,
while feature phones continue to remain attractive in rural communities in
China, India and Indonesia.

However, operators switching to 3G and 4G mobile
broadband networks will also play a key role. Ovum’s forecast shows that
shipments of mobile broadband enabled handsets will grow by a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 16.7 per cent from 2011 to 2016, to reach 372 million
units in AP.

Increasing consumer appetite for smartphones is a major
factor in driving the growth in the market for mobile broadband enabled
handsets. However, smartphones are not the only story and there will still be
growth in non-smart broadband phones, particularly in the emerging markets.”

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]