Worst is over in handset space, claim analysts

The global handset market is on road to recovery, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics; Moto, Sony Ericsson may turn a corner in 2H/09.

The number of mobile handsets shipped worldwide in the second quarter was down significantly compared with 2008, but there are early signs of a recovery in the devices space, said Strategy Analytics. The analyst firm predicts that there will be further improvements in the second half of the year, potentially buoyed by new devices from current strugglers Motorola and Sony Ericsson.

Global handset vendors shipped 273 million units in Q2, versus 297 million a year ago, but that 8 per cent drop was significantly narrower than the 14 per cent year-on-year decline in Q1. The figure was also an 11 per cent increase on the 244.5 million units shipped in Q1, compared with an average of 5 per cent growth between Q1 and Q2 over the previous three years. Article