IDC: Emerging markets bring new opportunities to mobile phone vendors

Worldwide shipments of mobile phones rose 21.2% compared to the Q3 2002, reaching 130.1 million units, IDC said. Nokia Corp. remained the leader with 35% of the market, while LG Electronics Inc. pushed Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB out of the number-five spot, with 5.8% compared to Sony Ericsson's 5.5%, the report said. Motorola Inc. was in second place, boasting a market share of 15.5%, ahead of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. with 11.5% and Siemens AG with 8.7%.

The top five vendors have started to regain their market share after slipping slightly at the start of the year, IDC said. Between the fourth quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003, the share of the top vendors fell from 77.3% to 71.4%. They have fought back and now have 76.6% of the market, but IDC points out that the growing number of Asian vendors will challenge the top five companies to their share.