Research and Markets: Africa & Middle East Telecom Insider / Vol. 1, No 5, Edition 8 - Africa and the Middle East: a Refuge for Battered Handset Vendors

DUBLIN--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/811f8e/africa_middle_ea) has
announced the addition of the "Africa & Middle East Telecom Insider / Vol. 1, No
5, Edition 8 - Africa and the Middle East: A Refuge for Battered Handset
Vendors" report to their offering.

The global economic hardships of 2009 are negatively affecting the handset
market worldwide. For Q1 2009, the leading handset manufacturers reported a 14%
decline in their global sales compared with the year-earlier period. We expect
this trend to continue throughout 2009 but to a lesser degree, with global sales
of new handset units declining by 9% from 2008.

Despite the decline in new handset sales globally in Q1 2009 compared with Q1
2008, Africa and the Middle East (AME) still offers tremendous opportunities for
vendors. The main driver is continued strong growth in mobile services
subscriptions, which is shielding the region from substantial declines in
handset sales. Although we expect global sales of new handsets to decline in
2009, we forecast sales of new handsets in AME to at least match those recorded
in 2008. The region's size as the second-largest handset market will also help
shelter vendors from the wide fluctuations seen in other regions, such as
Central and Eastern Europe. Finally, AME's diversified demand will generate
growth for handsets at virtually all price points due to the large base of
low-income subscribers and the fast growth in smartphone and 3G handset demand.

In the midst of the tough conditions facing handset vendors, AME - a region in
which we include Africa, the Gulf, Iran, Turkey and the Levant - emerges as a
bright spot. This report analyzes the characteristics that distinguish the AME
handset market from other regions and identifies unique opportunities for
handset vendors, retailers and operators to exploit. The report also looks in
more detail at two of the region's largest handset markets, Nigeria and Turkey,
and highlights very specific trends in categorically different markets.

Published monthly for each of the world's most dynamic regions, Telecom Insiders
are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market sizing and
forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information
you can leverage to make better business decisions.

Key Topics Covered:

* INTRODUCTION
* AME HANDSET MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
* MARKET DETAIL
* CASE STUDY: Nigeria handset market
* CASE STUDY: Turkey handset market
* CONCLUSIONS
* RELATED RESOURCES
* Table of exhibits

Companies Mentioned:

* Apple
* LG
* MiPhone
* Motorola MTZ
* RIM
* Samsung
* Turkcell
* Vodafone
* Zain
* ZTE

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/811f8e/africa_middle_ea

Source: Pyramid Research, Inc.

Laura Wood
Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
Fax from USA: 646-607-1907
Fax from rest of the world: +353-1-481-1716

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