Phones and PDA Industry: Market Research Reports, Statistics and Analysis

Connectivity and Charging

• Worldwide handset shipments rose 15% in 2011 to around 1.5 billion units, reports Berg Insight. Mobile operators are readily subsidizing these phones to boost postpaid subscriptions. Smartphone penetration is fuelling growth for wireless connectivity technologies like GPS, WLAN, NFC and Bluetooth. The latter allows headset connectivity, file transfers and medical sensors, while WLAN allows internet access, fast media and file transfer, and VoIP services.

• The global Near Field Communication (NFC)-based mobile handset market is expected to record yearly growth of almost 69% between 2011 and 2016, according to research from GBI Research. NFC-based mobile handsets are used as virtual identity cards for downloading data and peer-to-peer communication. SIM-based and embedded models are forecast to account for the highest market share over the next coming years.

• The worldwide wireless charging sector is forecast to exceed $7 billion in 2017, up from under $457 million in 2011, reports Markets and Markets. This represents yearly growth of more than 57% between 2012 and 2017. Japan dominates the wireless charging market, while the US is recording relatively slow growth as consumers gradually accept wireless charging technology. Due to its relative underdevelopment, this market holds various opportunities, including embedding wireless charging in commercial facilities such as airports, cinemas and cafes. Smartphones with embedded receivers means a sleeve is not required.

Market Outlook

Demand for greater network capacity and speed will continue to grow over the coming years as consumers become accustomed to various applications, including mobile enterprise, entertainment and social networking. Global Industry Analysts points to the move from fixed to mobile services as a challenge for communications networks, giving rise to the need for high-speed networks like 3G. The worldwide 3G/3.5G market is expected to reach almost 4.3 billion subscribers in 2017. Market growth will be fuelled by greater penetration of 3G enabled mobile phones, 3G network roll outs in emerging markets, and high-bandwidth multimedia services demand. In addition, demand from developing markets is also expected to drive market growth in this sector.

Leading Industry Associations

• Near-Field Communication Forum www.nfc-forum.org
• Consumer Electronics Association www.ce.org
• The Wireless Association www.ctia.org
• Mobile Operators Association www.mobilemastinfo.com
• Mobile Data Association www.themda.org