Market researchers believe Nokia handset market share now back to 35 percent

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Nokia’s share of the mobile phone handset market is back at 35 percent, reports market research group Gartner. Nokia therefore seems to have recovered from the slight downward trend in 2004, when its market share momentarily dipped below 30 percent.
      Nokia’s market share is now approaching the 2002 peak, which was just under 36 percent. This exceeds even Nokia’s own predictions in October-December of last year.
      According to Gartner, Nokia’s expressed goal of securing a 40-percent market share can be taken seriously once again.
      "I think it's still a hard target to get, but it looks definitively more possible now than when they were talking about it a year ago," notes Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.
     
Nokia lost some of its market share in 2004, when it failed to respond quickly enough to the demand for folding handset models, the so-called clamshells.
      The company has since recovered from the setback, although not without seeing some cutting in margins.
      According to Gartner, Nokia’s comeback owes partly to the company’s successful strategy in the low end segment of the handset market.
      “They didn't go after the ultra-low cost handsets, but they were successful with the 1100 series products, which are priced a bit higher," Milanesi told the British news agency Reuters.
     
Nokia's 35 percent global market share in the fourth quarter of 2005 gives it almost double the 17.8 percent enjoyed by industry No.2 Motorola.
      Competition in the branch remains fierce, and the other major handset vendors - Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG Electronics all saw gains in 4Q/2005. Only Samsung slipped back slightly.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Gartner: Nokia market share falls below 30% - ten-point drop in European share (9.6.2004)

Links:
  Nokia
  Gartner

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