Nokia is still the biggest seller in Taiwan, but Inventec's OKWAP brand is now second with 12.8 percent of the market

Domestically made mobile phones are taking market share from foreign rivals in Taiwan, according to survey results released yesterday.

According to the poll, Inventec Co's  OKWAP brand handsets had 12.8 percent of the Taiwan market last month. Nokia kept its top spot with 17 percent.

Third was Motorola Inc, while two brands created by domestic manufacturers -- BenQ Corp  and DBTEL Inc  -- placed in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Inventec has set a target of securing a 20 percent share in the domestic market, business sources said.

With the emergence of domestic brands in recent years, sales of mobile phones carrying brand names of companies based in Europe and the US have been on the decline. While Nokia and Motorola are still the most popular brands in Taiwan, their combined market share fell to less than 30 percent last month, the survey showed.

Industry sources said price is the key to sales of local brand handsets, which are NT$2,000 to NT$3,000 cheaper than foreign brands.

Mobile phones bearing Japanese and South Korean brand names are also enjoying rising sales in the domestic market, with four of them achieving a combined 30 percent market share last month, business sources said.
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