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Nokia Holds Number One Position in Q3, but Samsung and LG Make Gains in Mobile Phone Sales |
3 Nov 2004 Nokia remained the number one cell phone manufacturer in the
world in the third quarter of this year, according to In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com),
a high-tech market research firm. In the period ending September 30th, Nokia had
31.2% market share, virtually unchanged from a year earlier, but up slightly
from the two previous quarters. Nokia shipped 51.4 million handsets in the quarter. Nokia was
able to regain some lost market share by sharply cutting handset prices. It paid off in Western Europe, which showed substantial gains.
In North America and Latin America, however, the company lost ground. At the
same time, Samsung and LG made sizeable gains. Motorola held onto second place, but just barely. The U.S.-based manufacturer
shipped 23.3 million units, giving it a 14.1% market share, up from 13.9% in the
same period a year ago, but down sequentially from the second quarter. Close on Motorola's heels was South Korean maker Samsung, which shipped 22.7
million units, or 13.8% market share. Samsung's share has been rising steadily.
A year ago, it was 10.3%. Over the course of a year, Samsung's share has grown
34%, thanks to its quick-to-market approach with mid-tier clamshell phones that
feature color displays and integrated digital cameras. The next three market leaders were: Siemens at number four with an estimated
share of 7.3% (it reports earnings Nov. 11), LG number five (7.2%), and Sony
Ericsson number six (6.5%). In-Stat/MDR has also found that: · LG has enjoyed steady growth this year as well. The South Korean
manufacturer leapfrogged London-based Sony Ericsson in the quarter as it shipped
11.8 million phones. Sony Ericsson's shipments were up sequentially to 10.7
million units. LG's growth was attributed to strong sales of GSM and CDMA phones
in North America, and an expanding WCDMA market in Europe.
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