Global mobile shipments up 17%

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Global mobile phone handset shipments reached 296 million in the first quarter of 2008, new research has revealed.

The figures, which represent a 17 per cent increase on the same time period last year, suggest that despite the economic downturn, mobile phone handsets are still in demand.

Handsets change rapidly, with new features being constantly added, with the latest innovation which makers are striving to include se to mimic the Apple iPhone.

Nokia kept up its position as the biggest handset manufacturer, shipping 115.5 million units, an increase of 26.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.

"Nokia managed to defy the seasonal slowdown in the key strategic territory of China, with its shipments to the nation rising 4 percent sequentially to reach 21 million units," says Tina Teng, analyst, wireless communications, for iSuppli.

"China in the first quarter of 2008 grew to account for 18.2 percent of Nokia's worldwide shipments, up from 14.5 percent during the same quarter in 2007."

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