New trend in emerging markets to drive growth at Nokia
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(InfoWorld) - The number of mobile phone users worldwide will reach 3 billion next year instead of 2008, Nokia said, driven in part by a new trend in emerging markets. For the past year, operators and phone makers have been saying that the bulk of theirÂ future growthÂ will come from areas outside of the increasingly saturated mature markets. Nokia expects that in 2007, several regions, including China, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, will experience 15 percent growth. But Nokia is noticing the surprising trend of growth among customers in emerging markets who are upgrading their phones. Nokia estimates that this year, 52 percent of its sales in emerging markets will come from people who are replacing their phones, said Kai Oistamo, executive vice president and general manager of mobile phones for Nokia. Next year, that figure should grow to 60 percent, Nokia said. Oistamo, along with other senior Nokia executives, outlined the phone giant's strategies for pursuing growth in the next few years during its annual analyst meeting in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Phone users who replace their devices typically opt for higher-priced phones that offer more, Nokia finds, and that's true in emerging markets as well. In India, Nokia found that among buyers of phones that cost over â¬60 ($79), 21 percent were first-time mobile users and 41 percent were replacing existing phones, said Bill Seymour, Nokia's head of investor relations. In addition to a focus on the emerging markets, Nokia will also increasingly pursue mobile Web 2.0 applications. Computer users have demonstrated their interest in creating online content, through the growth of blogs, social networking sites and online video sites. "The significance of this megatrend to Nokia is obvious," said Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. "We are the key player in bringing this into the mobile environment." Nokia hopes toÂ extend some Web 2.0 applicationsÂ to mobile users and add value to them through location information or other offerings that are unique to mobility, he said. Nokia currently has 850 million users and around half of them have the capability to connect to the Internet, he said. "We can and we will monetize this by embracing the business models that already exist on the Net," he said. Some Nokia customers may soon access Web 2.0 applications from phones with a new design from Nokia. The company will increasingly focus on building very thin phones that don't skimp on functionality, said Oistamo. Motorola recently set off a new trend in ultra-thin phones with its successful Razr and now other phone makers like Nokia are following suit. At the event, Nokia introduced the Nokia 6300, one of its first handsets to exhibit the move toward thin phones. "It's a sneak preview of what else will come out in 2007," Oistamo said. In addition to thin phones, he expects phones that offer location-based services to also be popular next year.
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Nokia Oyj&#39;s share of the global mobile-phone market rose for a second straight quarter as the company reduced prices and introduced new models.
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Nokia Corp. , the world's dominant cellphone maker, is positioning itself to compete against the likes of MySpace, iTunes, and Google, and is anchoring a key part of its new business in the Back Bay.
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October 15, 2004 4:59 PM GMT (Datamonitor) - Nokia [NOK.HE] has used the formidable financial muscle it has built up as mobile handset market leader to engage in a vicious price war to build its market share.
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Trying to regain some of its lost market share, Nokia Corp. is hoping to woo both enterprise and consumer customers with a lighter, sleeker version of its high-end Communicator handset that will be released worldwide at the beginning of next year, the company announced Wednesday.
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By MATTI HUUHTANEN    HELSINKI, Finland  -- Nokia said Thursday its third-quarter revenue and profits would be better than expected, citing an increase in mobile phone sales. The news pushed its shares up nearly 6.5 percent in trading...
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The Finnish group Nokia was the world's leading provider of mobile telephones in the third quarter, capturing 35.1 percent of the market after 32.5 percent in the same period last year, a study by the Gartner institute has revealed.
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Nokia , the world's largest mobile phone maker, unveiled three new mobile handsets on Monday intended to boost its offering of mid-range phones and lift its global market share further from 36 percent.
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Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer, has posted stronger-than-expected earnings with a 43-percent jump in net profits and 22-percent rise in sales, but saw its market share dip slightly.
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Nokia saw sales soar in China last year as the world's largest maker of mobile phones started tapping the nation's huge rural market, according to state media.
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The wireless service provider seeks growth in emerging markets.
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Nokia (NOK1V.HE), the world&#39;s largest  mobile phone maker, unveiled three new mobile handsets on  Monday intended to boost its offering of mid-range phones and  lift its global market share further from 36 percent.
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Mobile phone maker Nokia raised its  third-quarter sales and earnings forecasts on Thursday on the  back of strong market demand, reversing a recent spate of grim  outlooks and sending its share price higher.
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(InfoWorld) - The future of the mobile communications industry lies inÂ emerging high-growth markets, like China and India, and companies ignore the opportunities in these countries at their own peril, Motorola's top executive said. "It's where the future is, not only for low-end handsets but forÂ mobile communications," said Ed Zander, Motorola's chief executive officer, during an interview at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2006 conference and exhibition in Hong Kong. "You've got to make the investments. It's painful in terms of cost. ... But three to five years from now you're going to look back and say it was the right thing to do," Zander said. In recent years, Motorola has worked hard to build its presence in high-growth emerging markets, investing heavily in its operations in China, India, and elsewhere. As part of these efforts, the company was awarded two contracts by the GSM Association, an industry group comprised of operators around the world, for a low-cost GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) handset designed for emerging markets . "The press sometimes focuses on whether we can get a $20 or $10 handset, but it's the next 4 billion people that are going to get connected and all of the communications that goes with it, the infrastructure," Zander said. The rapid pace of economic growth and the large populations in these countries means that vendors cannot afford to stay away if they want to remain competitive. "You have to be in these countries. That's the bottom line. Do you want to be in business 10 years from now? Doing business in the U.S. is great. We love it. Doing business in Europe is nice. We love it. But China and these other countries is where the growth is," Zander said. Low-end products have helped Motorola build volume in emerging markets, but these countries also have sizable populations of affluent consumers, particularly in major cities such as Beijing and Mumbai. "If you're not in the country you don't get to sell this stuff," he said. Emerging markets are also an increasingly important source of research and development (R&D) for Motorola. "We have more than half our R&D outside the U.S. In China alone, we have 18 R&D centers and 3,000 engineers," Zander said, noting that these investments are not driven by a desire to reduce R&D costs or outsource operations from the U.S. "You go to India and the PhDs coming out of there are some of the best in the world, and China every year is graduating more and more students in engineering, math, and science," Zander said. "We have to be where the smart people are."
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The use of mobile phones in emerging markets is growing but people are using their phones for more than just talking.
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Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday it plans to invest in a new handset plant in India to meet booming demand in the world's fastest-growing major wireless market.
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With smartphones gaining in popularity, Nokia has committed to beef up the capabilities of its Series 60 platform to embrace more multimedia features.