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June 11 2003
According to In-Stat/MDR the boom times for China's handset market may well be over. The high-tech market research firm reports that China's hyper-growth period has ended, and now a slower competitive growth cycle is underway. Handset shipments will rise 4.3% in China this year, but growth is slowing and will settle into a compound annual growth rate of 10% over the next five years. Also, replacement handsets will gain importance as the market matures and net new subscribers decline year over year. There is no doubt that China's wireless phone market, with the largest number of subscribers in any one country, considerable growth potential, and thriving manufacturing, commands the attention of all the key global handset, infrastructure and software players. However, the Chinese handset market is far more complex and unpredictable than many companies have imagined. In fact, with the big boom period ending and the next growth phase moving at a more even pace, a winning strategy will demand close attention to the details and subtleties of this vast market. In-Stat/MDR also reports the following characteristics with regards to China's handset market:
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