News
Nokia booms in China
Stuart O'Brien Dec 12 2007, 9:09am
Handset sales up by more than a third as Finnish giant primes China for multimedia.
The FT reports that sales of Nokia handsets in China rose by 39 per cent to reach 50 million units in the year to September.
Although the growth is primarily attributable to Nokia's strategy to sell low-cost handsets outside of the main cities, multimedia services and mobile internet access are a high priority.
David Tang, Nokia's VP for China sales, said upgrades for higher-end models was good, with revenues 'quite balanced' between the high, mid and budget markets.
The article quotes employees of China Mobile saying that supplies of the N95 have been outstripped by demand.
Nokia claims 15 per cent of mobile users in CHina access the internet through their handsets each day.
Tang said: "Millions and millions of mobile users are having their first web experience through mobile phones and we believe we are in a very, very unique position to take advantage... and really help them experience the world of the internet."
The FT cites research from Analysys International that shows Nokia taking 35 per cent of the Chinese handset market by units in the third quarter, compared to 14 per cent for Motorola.
Motorola, however, has already experienced notable mobile multimedia success in China with its full-track music store.
