There were 96.7 million mobile phone shipments in the second quarter worldwide, representing a plateau in replacement rates by consumers, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics.
The group is forecasting that there will be 417 million wireless handset shipments for the full year 2002.
“Replacement rates have steadily fallen over the past 18 months, but second quarter shipments indicate that they have stabilised, especially in Western Europe. We are optimistic that this trend will continue into the third quarter, which would be a positive way to begin the crucial holiday season,” says Chris Ambrosio, director of Global Wireless Practice at Strategy Analytics.
