Smartphone sales in Latin America to reach $6 billion in revenue this year

CAMBRIDGE, USA: Smartphones are the fastest-growing handset category across Latin America, with smartphone sales equaling 31 million smartphone units sold and $6 billion in revenue, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.

Operators and Vendors Aim Smartphones at the Mass Market provides an in depth analysis of the drivers of growth in the smartphone market in Latin America and the efforts operators are making to increase their smartphone installed base. Then Pyramid Research discusses the impact of prepaid data plans on the smartphone market and the effects of price decrease on adoption. This report looks at case studies around BlackBerry Messenger, prepaid data plans and smartphones for teenagers.

"In 2010 the smartphone market in Latin America grew 117 percent, and total handset sales grew 17 percent," says Pyramid Research analyst, Juliana Gomez. Pyramid Research expects smartphone unit sales in the region to grow at a CAGR of 30 percent in the next five years. "This growth will be driven by operator efforts to increase data revenue, as well as by vendor competition, smartphone price decreases and customers' growing need to stay connected. The adoption of social networks and mobile applications will play a defining role in smartphone adoption," she explains.