BOSTON, USA: Total global shipments of cellphone memory cards will be flat, at 444 million cards, in 2008 and 2009. However, the supply-demand dynamic of MLC NAND Flash has stabilized and the economic outlook has begun to improve.
Strategy Analytics anticipates 11 percent growth in sales of memory cards for cellphones in 2010, based primarily on higher phone shipments next year.
In its long-term forecast for cellphone memory card revenues and shipments “Cellphone Memory Card Revenues will Recover in 2010 after Two Bleak Years,” the Strategy Analytics Handset Component Technology service reveals that revenue from memory card sales is expected to show strong growth in the long-term from a flat $3 billion in 2007, 2008 and 2009, to a more appealing $9 Billion by 2013, representing an average 25 percent growth per year over the next five years.
Stuart Robinson, author of this report and Director of the Handset Component Technologies service, says, “Revenue from memory card sales is expected to show strong growth in the long-term which will be fueled by greater cellphone shipments, higher penetration of slots in phones, higher capacity cards and less severe price reductions of NAND Flash.”
“Strategy Analytics estimates that the global average card capacity will be 2.27GB for 2009 and will increase at an annual average rate of nearly 118% over the next five years,” adds Stephen Entwistle, VP of the Strategic Technologies Practice.
“The next big question in the removable memory card market is the impact that embedded memory will have on slots and card sales as some high-end smart phone models are likely to have over 1TB of embedded memory by 2015.”
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Smartphones surpass 15 percent of cell phone shipments in China
SCOTTSDALE, USA: China’s smartphone market saw strong growth throughout 2008 with shipments showing a 30 percent increase over the previous year, reports In-Stat. Smartphones accounted for 15.3 percent of total mobile phone shipments in China last year, up from 12 percent in 2007.
“Mobile Internet applications, GPS, and multimedia functionality were the most important drivers,” says Alex Liu, In-Stat analyst. “In the smartphone OS marketplace, Symbian retained its leading position and saw a small share increase in 2008 due to steady growth of Nokia smartphone sales and a drop in Linux smartphone sales.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
* China’s smartphone shipments are projected to more than triple by 2013.
* The next wave of smartphone market growth will be driven by lower barriers to entry in both OS and chipset platform solutions.
* A free and complete smartphone software platform from OHA and the Symbian Foundation will fuel smartphone market growth in the coming years.
“Mobile Internet applications, GPS, and multimedia functionality were the most important drivers,” says Alex Liu, In-Stat analyst. “In the smartphone OS marketplace, Symbian retained its leading position and saw a small share increase in 2008 due to steady growth of Nokia smartphone sales and a drop in Linux smartphone sales.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
* China’s smartphone shipments are projected to more than triple by 2013.
* The next wave of smartphone market growth will be driven by lower barriers to entry in both OS and chipset platform solutions.
* A free and complete smartphone software platform from OHA and the Symbian Foundation will fuel smartphone market growth in the coming years.
Huawei deploys state-of-the-art HSPA network across Canada for Bell
PLANO, TEXAS: Huawei has deployed an HSPA network across Canada for Bell utilizing Huawei’s leading SingleRAN solution and base stations.
Huawei provided Bell with network infrastructure for the buildout of its new HSPA network, which also offers Bell an efficient upgrade path forward to LTE.
Bell’s new network, launched three months ahead of schedule, delivers high-speed mobile access to approximately 93 percent of the Canadian population across more than a million square kilometers, serving both rural and remote locations as well as urban areas.
The new HSPA network is the latest evolution of the international GSM mobile standard, supporting peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps.
“Bell has delivered the largest, fastest and most reliable wireless network in Canada ahead of schedule,” said Stephen Howe, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Wireless Networks for Bell Mobility. “We are pleased to have worked with Huawei to deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network that ranks among the very best in the world.”
“This project with Bell is an important milestone for us in North America,” said Carl Liu, Executive Vice President of Huawei North America. “We provide industry-leading distributed base station solutions for operators around the world, and this solution has been deployed in Europe in large quantities. This is the first time we’ve deployed this advanced solution in North America, which will provide Bell with a superior network while reducing OPEX.”
As a leading provider of end-to-end mobile broadband solutions, Huawei has deployed over 28 HSPA+ networks, 10 of which have been commercially available.
Huawei provided Bell with network infrastructure for the buildout of its new HSPA network, which also offers Bell an efficient upgrade path forward to LTE.
Bell’s new network, launched three months ahead of schedule, delivers high-speed mobile access to approximately 93 percent of the Canadian population across more than a million square kilometers, serving both rural and remote locations as well as urban areas.
The new HSPA network is the latest evolution of the international GSM mobile standard, supporting peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps.
“Bell has delivered the largest, fastest and most reliable wireless network in Canada ahead of schedule,” said Stephen Howe, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Wireless Networks for Bell Mobility. “We are pleased to have worked with Huawei to deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network that ranks among the very best in the world.”
“This project with Bell is an important milestone for us in North America,” said Carl Liu, Executive Vice President of Huawei North America. “We provide industry-leading distributed base station solutions for operators around the world, and this solution has been deployed in Europe in large quantities. This is the first time we’ve deployed this advanced solution in North America, which will provide Bell with a superior network while reducing OPEX.”
As a leading provider of end-to-end mobile broadband solutions, Huawei has deployed over 28 HSPA+ networks, 10 of which have been commercially available.
Mobile coupon redemption value to approach $6bn by 2014
HAMPSHIRE, UK: A new report from Juniper Research, forecasts that consumer usage of mobile coupons will generate close to $6 billion globally in retail redemption value by 2014.
Juniper Research’s new report -- ‘Mobile Coupons & NFC Smart Posters: Strategies, Applications & Forecasts 2009-2014’ cautions that user apathy amongst the wider public, as well as lack of willingness to change and learn a new method of making financial transactions are potential stumbling blocks. This is despite NFC trial results which show very high levels of user acceptance.
“Marketers can use the mobile device as the ultimate personal marketing channel. It is almost permanently switched on and physically with the consumer. This makes a great opportunity for brands and marketing agencies to access clients immediately, driving footfall and encouraging an instant decision,” explained Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research and lead report author.
Smart posters with embedded NFC tags will bring to life static billboards, creating immediate interaction between potential customers and their prospective purchases. By simply passing their device close to the tag, users can take away a coupon or product information that can result in purchase decisions.
Further findings from the Mobile Coupons and Smart Posters report include:
* ARPU from NFC coupons and smart posters will exceed ARPU from NFC payment transactions.
* The vast majority of mobile coupon redemption value will be generated by the Far East & China, Western Europe and North America in 2014.
Juniper Research’s new report -- ‘Mobile Coupons & NFC Smart Posters: Strategies, Applications & Forecasts 2009-2014’ cautions that user apathy amongst the wider public, as well as lack of willingness to change and learn a new method of making financial transactions are potential stumbling blocks. This is despite NFC trial results which show very high levels of user acceptance.
“Marketers can use the mobile device as the ultimate personal marketing channel. It is almost permanently switched on and physically with the consumer. This makes a great opportunity for brands and marketing agencies to access clients immediately, driving footfall and encouraging an instant decision,” explained Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research and lead report author.
Smart posters with embedded NFC tags will bring to life static billboards, creating immediate interaction between potential customers and their prospective purchases. By simply passing their device close to the tag, users can take away a coupon or product information that can result in purchase decisions.
Further findings from the Mobile Coupons and Smart Posters report include:
* ARPU from NFC coupons and smart posters will exceed ARPU from NFC payment transactions.
* The vast majority of mobile coupon redemption value will be generated by the Far East & China, Western Europe and North America in 2014.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Xelerated enables carrier Ethernet vendors to offer flexible mobile backhaul with programmability and synchronization
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Xelerated, the global leader in Carrier Ethernet and Unified Fiber Access network processing chipsets, now enables Carrier Ethernet vendors to offer mobile backhaul with the industry’s most flexible Precision Time Solution.
Inherently supported in the company’s latest network processors and programmable Ethernet switches, these features enable system vendors to build a unified portfolio for fiber access and mobile backhaul, defining a smooth route for mobile operators from 2G/3G to Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Packet Transport Networks (PTN).
To preserve synchronization services when migrating to packet-based mobile backhaul, Xelerated’s Precision Time Solution provides hardware and software support for both Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588 v1 and v2/2008) and Synchronous Ethernet (ITU G.8262).
For maximum flexibility, the solution supports any type of synchronization service on any port. Special attention has been put to highly accurate time stamping, time and frequency monitoring, as well as optimized performance supporting one-step operations for Precision Time Protocol.
“Mobile operators and backhaul providers are looking for Carrier Ethernet equipment that supports G.8262 Synchronous Ethernet and IEEE 1588 PTP in silicon, so that these synchronization methods can be used for reliable and transparent services across the mobile industry,” stated Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst at Infonetics Research.
“By designing Carrier Ethernet products with a programmable chip and precision time solution, manufacturers can offer products to address not only the mobile segment, but also the broader packet transport network market.”
The programmable design inherent in Xelerated’s chipsets allow mobile backhaul providers to evolve their services as the LTE technology framework is updated with new standards for quality of service, synchronization and service interworking. In addition, programmability enables system vendors to offer a common portfolio meeting the stringent PTN requirements as outlined by China Mobile while paving the way for LTE.
“Next-generation mobile backhaul must leverage a unified fiber access design to meet the price points and dense service requirements in LTE. A unified approach with superior synchronous options can make this solution happen now,” said Thomas Eklund, vice president of marketing and business development for Xelerated.
“We have put extensive resources into our new Precision Time Solution, which enables service providers to securely migrate to Carrier Ethernet and stop investing in costly legacy equipment with limited lifetimes.”
Inherently supported in the company’s latest network processors and programmable Ethernet switches, these features enable system vendors to build a unified portfolio for fiber access and mobile backhaul, defining a smooth route for mobile operators from 2G/3G to Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Packet Transport Networks (PTN).
To preserve synchronization services when migrating to packet-based mobile backhaul, Xelerated’s Precision Time Solution provides hardware and software support for both Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588 v1 and v2/2008) and Synchronous Ethernet (ITU G.8262).
For maximum flexibility, the solution supports any type of synchronization service on any port. Special attention has been put to highly accurate time stamping, time and frequency monitoring, as well as optimized performance supporting one-step operations for Precision Time Protocol.
“Mobile operators and backhaul providers are looking for Carrier Ethernet equipment that supports G.8262 Synchronous Ethernet and IEEE 1588 PTP in silicon, so that these synchronization methods can be used for reliable and transparent services across the mobile industry,” stated Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst at Infonetics Research.
“By designing Carrier Ethernet products with a programmable chip and precision time solution, manufacturers can offer products to address not only the mobile segment, but also the broader packet transport network market.”
The programmable design inherent in Xelerated’s chipsets allow mobile backhaul providers to evolve their services as the LTE technology framework is updated with new standards for quality of service, synchronization and service interworking. In addition, programmability enables system vendors to offer a common portfolio meeting the stringent PTN requirements as outlined by China Mobile while paving the way for LTE.
“Next-generation mobile backhaul must leverage a unified fiber access design to meet the price points and dense service requirements in LTE. A unified approach with superior synchronous options can make this solution happen now,” said Thomas Eklund, vice president of marketing and business development for Xelerated.
“We have put extensive resources into our new Precision Time Solution, which enables service providers to securely migrate to Carrier Ethernet and stop investing in costly legacy equipment with limited lifetimes.”
MobileAppWorks launches apps developed for iPhone and smartphone platforms
SAN JOSE, USA: MobileAppWorks, a developer of applications for iPhones and Smart Phone platforms, has launched seven mobile applications for the iPhone/iPod touch.
The applications, which can be viewed on the company’'s website http://www.mobileappworks.com/, are available for sale in the Apple iTunes App store. The list of applications includes an e-book version of A Mini Course for Life; mobile eCard apps - Car Part Art, Cats Rule, and Photo eCards; trivia game Trivya Lite; and fishing and hunting videos from The American Outdoorsman. The company is also creating applications for the Blackberry, Palm, Windows and Android platforms.
“We continue to be very excited about the opportunities in the mobile apps space,” said CEO, Chris Stocker. “With over 85,000+ applications already available for the iPhone/iPod touch alone and 2 billion downloads, it takes a savvy group of professionals to help companies navigate this dynamic, new landscape.
“We'’ve assembled a veteran team of programmers, web developers, graphic designers, and advertising pros to do just that. From app creation, to targeting and marketing, our goal is to help companies and brands take full advantage of today’s mobile device capabilities to engage their target audiences.”
MobileAppWorks has a full pipeline of apps in development, which will be launched in the next few weeks, encompassing an assortment of categories – eBooks, games, travel, culinary arts, and entertainment.
“We'’ve hit the ground running and there’s more to come,” said Stocker. “Stay tuned…”
The applications, which can be viewed on the company’'s website http://www.mobileappworks.com/, are available for sale in the Apple iTunes App store. The list of applications includes an e-book version of A Mini Course for Life; mobile eCard apps - Car Part Art, Cats Rule, and Photo eCards; trivia game Trivya Lite; and fishing and hunting videos from The American Outdoorsman. The company is also creating applications for the Blackberry, Palm, Windows and Android platforms.
“We continue to be very excited about the opportunities in the mobile apps space,” said CEO, Chris Stocker. “With over 85,000+ applications already available for the iPhone/iPod touch alone and 2 billion downloads, it takes a savvy group of professionals to help companies navigate this dynamic, new landscape.
“We'’ve assembled a veteran team of programmers, web developers, graphic designers, and advertising pros to do just that. From app creation, to targeting and marketing, our goal is to help companies and brands take full advantage of today’s mobile device capabilities to engage their target audiences.”
MobileAppWorks has a full pipeline of apps in development, which will be launched in the next few weeks, encompassing an assortment of categories – eBooks, games, travel, culinary arts, and entertainment.
“We'’ve hit the ground running and there’s more to come,” said Stocker. “Stay tuned…”
Cell phone industry’s dirty little secret: China’s 145 million unit gray market
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Like many other illicit enterprises, China’s vast gray-market cell phone business is one of those things that everyone knows about -- but few want to discuss.
However, with gray-market shipments in 2009 set to grow to 145 million units, or nearly 13 percent of the size of the legitimate global cell phone business, the gray market has become too big and too lucrative for the mobile handset supply chain to ignore anymore.
In a market-research first, iSuppli Corp. has managed to lift the veil on China’s secretive gray handset market and develop an estimate of market size.
China’s gray market wireless handset shipments are expected to amount to 145 million units in 2009, up a stunning 43.6 percent from 101 million in 2008. This will amount to 12.9 percent of the 1.13 billion unit global market for legitimate cell phones.
The gray market this year is set to nearly quadruple from 37 million units in 2005.
In contrast, worldwide unit shipments of legitimate cell phones will decline by 8 percent in 2009.
By 2013, the gray market will grow to 176 million units, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.7 percent from 2008. In contrast, the legitimate cell phone market will achieve a CAGR of only 4.4 percent during the same period.
The gray market will peak in 2012 at 192 million units.
The figure presents iSuppli’s forecast of gray-market cell phone shipments.
Source: iSuppli, Nov. 2009
Gray-market handsets are cell phones manufactured in China that are not recognized or licensed by government regulators. Makers of these products generally do not pay China’s value-added taxes and, therefore, profit illegally from their participation in the market.
Such phones employ fake International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, which are used by wireless networks to identify valid devices. These phones also do not carry test/quality certifications or network entry permits.
“Because of its under-the-table status, China’s gray market has been difficult to size up,” said Kevin Wang, director, China Research, for iSuppli.
“However, with its vast size, growing competitive presence and increasing influence on the global supply chain, this market now must be reckoned with. That’s why iSuppli has leveraged its extensive research capabilities to provide an estimate and forecast of shipments, the first time this has been done by a market research firm.”
Gray market comes out of the shadows
The gray cell phone market long has been a fact of life in China, with domestic demand propelling sales growth. However, the business underwent a fundamental shift in 2008, as domestic shipments began to decline, and exports started to boom. In 2009, exports are expected to exceed domestic shipments by a factor of more than three to one.
These exports are starting to impact the sales of legitimate established global players.
“Chinese gray-market handset suppliers have become so successful that they are grabbing share from major international handset OEMs,” Wang said.
“Exports of gray-market cell phones are set to rise to 110 million units in 2009, up from 60 million in 2008. International consumers in both developed and developing economies are being lured away from established brands by the low cost of gray-market handsets.”
Ironically, the export explosion comes at a time when Chinese consumers are turning away from gray-market phones because these products often come up short in terms of after-sales service and quality and as consumers are gravitating toward brand-name products,
Gray-market handsets typically enjoy a lifetime of only two years, due to poor quality control during the manufacturing process.
Gray phones go upscale
While gray-market cell phones are low priced, they aren’t necessarily low end.
“In terms of features, gray-market handsets often are comparable with official phones,” Wang said. “Nearly all gray-market phones have 2-megapixel VGA cameras and Bluetooth connections. Gray-market firms are even offering smart-phone models for less than $150, featuring Wi-Fi, QVGA-resolution touch-screen interfaces and the Microsoft Corp. Windows Mobile operating system.”
Component opportunity
With its large size and rapid growth, the gray cell phone market has become a major revenue driver for suppliers of semiconductors and other components.
While MediaTek is one of the primary supplier of semiconductors to the gray market, many other makers of semiconductors for legitimate handset OEMs also sell to gray-market manufacturers. However, the chips sold into the gray market often do not meet quality specifications of mainstream handsets.
While this represents a lucrative opportunity for these semiconductor suppliers, it does come with some risks.
“As the gray-market handset gets bigger, component suppliers may get some pressure from the legitimate OEMs and others in the ecosystem to stop selling into this area,” warned Francis Sideco, principal analyst, wireless communications, for iSuppli.
“This pressure may come in the form of shrinking design wins and potentially, intellectual property lawsuits.”
However, with gray-market shipments in 2009 set to grow to 145 million units, or nearly 13 percent of the size of the legitimate global cell phone business, the gray market has become too big and too lucrative for the mobile handset supply chain to ignore anymore.
In a market-research first, iSuppli Corp. has managed to lift the veil on China’s secretive gray handset market and develop an estimate of market size.
China’s gray market wireless handset shipments are expected to amount to 145 million units in 2009, up a stunning 43.6 percent from 101 million in 2008. This will amount to 12.9 percent of the 1.13 billion unit global market for legitimate cell phones.
The gray market this year is set to nearly quadruple from 37 million units in 2005.
In contrast, worldwide unit shipments of legitimate cell phones will decline by 8 percent in 2009.
By 2013, the gray market will grow to 176 million units, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.7 percent from 2008. In contrast, the legitimate cell phone market will achieve a CAGR of only 4.4 percent during the same period.
The gray market will peak in 2012 at 192 million units.
The figure presents iSuppli’s forecast of gray-market cell phone shipments.
Source: iSuppli, Nov. 2009Gray-market handsets are cell phones manufactured in China that are not recognized or licensed by government regulators. Makers of these products generally do not pay China’s value-added taxes and, therefore, profit illegally from their participation in the market.
Such phones employ fake International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, which are used by wireless networks to identify valid devices. These phones also do not carry test/quality certifications or network entry permits.
“Because of its under-the-table status, China’s gray market has been difficult to size up,” said Kevin Wang, director, China Research, for iSuppli.
“However, with its vast size, growing competitive presence and increasing influence on the global supply chain, this market now must be reckoned with. That’s why iSuppli has leveraged its extensive research capabilities to provide an estimate and forecast of shipments, the first time this has been done by a market research firm.”
Gray market comes out of the shadows
The gray cell phone market long has been a fact of life in China, with domestic demand propelling sales growth. However, the business underwent a fundamental shift in 2008, as domestic shipments began to decline, and exports started to boom. In 2009, exports are expected to exceed domestic shipments by a factor of more than three to one.
These exports are starting to impact the sales of legitimate established global players.
“Chinese gray-market handset suppliers have become so successful that they are grabbing share from major international handset OEMs,” Wang said.
“Exports of gray-market cell phones are set to rise to 110 million units in 2009, up from 60 million in 2008. International consumers in both developed and developing economies are being lured away from established brands by the low cost of gray-market handsets.”
Ironically, the export explosion comes at a time when Chinese consumers are turning away from gray-market phones because these products often come up short in terms of after-sales service and quality and as consumers are gravitating toward brand-name products,
Gray-market handsets typically enjoy a lifetime of only two years, due to poor quality control during the manufacturing process.
Gray phones go upscale
While gray-market cell phones are low priced, they aren’t necessarily low end.
“In terms of features, gray-market handsets often are comparable with official phones,” Wang said. “Nearly all gray-market phones have 2-megapixel VGA cameras and Bluetooth connections. Gray-market firms are even offering smart-phone models for less than $150, featuring Wi-Fi, QVGA-resolution touch-screen interfaces and the Microsoft Corp. Windows Mobile operating system.”
Component opportunity
With its large size and rapid growth, the gray cell phone market has become a major revenue driver for suppliers of semiconductors and other components.
While MediaTek is one of the primary supplier of semiconductors to the gray market, many other makers of semiconductors for legitimate handset OEMs also sell to gray-market manufacturers. However, the chips sold into the gray market often do not meet quality specifications of mainstream handsets.
While this represents a lucrative opportunity for these semiconductor suppliers, it does come with some risks.
“As the gray-market handset gets bigger, component suppliers may get some pressure from the legitimate OEMs and others in the ecosystem to stop selling into this area,” warned Francis Sideco, principal analyst, wireless communications, for iSuppli.
“This pressure may come in the form of shrinking design wins and potentially, intellectual property lawsuits.”
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