Smartphones And Modems To Aid 2009 Cellular Sales

While the global mobile handset market showed a 5-percent decline in year-over-year shipments for the last quarter of 2008 compared to 2007, a market forecast from ABI Research shows hope for some sectors of cellular equipment sales in 2009. The report, "Mobile Device Market Share Analysis and Forecasts," sees strong sales in smartphones and cellular modems for 2009. According to ABI Research Asia-Pacific Vice-President Jake Saunders, "The number of WCDMA and CDMA2000 mobile handsets sold (currently 39 percent of the total) is expected to exceed 50 percent in 2009. Much of the brunt of the economic downturn will be experienced in the 2G categories. WCDMA handset shipments are projected to grow from 258 million in 2008 to 725 million in 2009. By 2013, more than 67 percent of all handsets shipped will be 3G/3G+ capable." Cellular modems will also be a high growth sector in 2009, driven largely by USB modems, which will account for 80 percent of the shipment volume.