Mobile phone sales on downward spiral

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.