By Gemma Simpson, 25 January 2007 15:55
NEWS
Mobile phones with wi-fi are shaping up to be the hottest segment of the handset market.
Dual-mode wi-fi/VoIP handsets are the fastest growing area of the mobile market, with a compound annual growth rate of 198 per cent between 2006 and 2010 predicted.
Sales of wi-fi phones topped $535m in 2006, a 327 per cent increase from 2005's figures, according to analyst house Infonetics Research.
And shipments of mobile phones with wi-fi capability are predicted to soar by nearly 1,300 per cent between 2007 and 2010.
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Richard Webb, directing analyst for wireless at Infonetics Research, said the appeal of converging mobile, wireless LAN and VoIP services into one device is driving wi-fi phone adoption, especially for dual-mode handsets.
Worldwide mobile phone sales of every type hit $115.5bn in 2006, up 13 per cent from 2005.
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1. Richard Bennett
As an early adopter of WiFi/GSM phones, I have found the most useful function is that my London office number rings on my handset where on the planet I can log onto a WiFi hotspot. My land line goes wherever I go.
Whilst I agree with these potential numbers, the challenge for marketers is that you have to create a cultural change to make customers want to buy a handset rather than have one included in their contract (where the operator often restricts the use of VoIP services). I thought twice before paying for a Pirelli GSM/WiFi/VoIP/Camera phone with the coms.com service, but I can report that it has already paid for itself in saved costs and increased my flexibility as it appears that I am in the office, when actually I am often home with my family.
In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, it seems normal to buy a handset – maybe the growth will come from there.