Worldwide mobile phone sales grew 6% in 2008, but sales declined
5% in the fourth quarter, says
Gartner.
The analyst said the global economic downturn had a significant
impact on the mobile phone industry, as worldwide mobile phone
sales to end-users totalled 314.7 million units in the fourth
quarter, a 4.6% decline on the fourth quarter of 2007.
It said manufacturers continued to struggle against low consumer
confidence in both emerging and mature markets.
The industry saw growth for the year overall, with worldwide
mobile phone sales to end users surpassing 1.22 billion units in
2008, a 6% increase on 2007. But the overall trend is now
downwards.
