OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Wireless users will soon demand feature-rich handsets that include color screens and advanced data and messaging applications to replace their current mobile phones, according to new research from Allied Business Intelligence.
The analyst group predicts that the number of replacement handsets shipped will jump from 211 million in 2002 to 591 million in 2008, at which time replacements will represent nearly 85 percent of all mobile-phone shipments. ABI further predicts that 97 percent of mobile phones will include color displays by 2008, a vast increase from the 15 percent of color phones shipped in 2002.
“With handset makers and wireless operators developing new devices and compelling services, the replacement cycle will shorten, accelerating growth in the handset,” said Kenil Vora, analyst at ABI. “Key to maintaining this growth is the successful deployment-and timing-of feature-rich devices and related services.”
