Asia-Pacific phone sales rise 24%

Asia-Pacific phone sales rise 24%

SINGAPORE: Asia-Pacific mobile phone sales, excluding Japan, rose
24.1 percent to 164 million handsets in 2004 on strong demand for
low-tier models, the Gartner research house said on Friday.

Reigning market leader Nokia increased its total annual sales
in 2004 by 28 percent to 50.6 million handsets, driven by the
popularity of its mid- and low-tier models in emerging markets
India and China, Gartner said.

"Phones with cameras and color screens accounted for the
majority of sales in the low-tier segment, slowly eroding the
share of black and white display handsets," Gartner analyst Ann
Liang said.

Third-generation (3G) handsets, meanwhile, proved unpopular
among Asians in 2004, although sales were expected to pick up
this year as the technology became increasingly available in the
region, according to Gartner. -- AFP