14 DAY TRIAL // 2009 is expected to be a rather great year for Korean mobile phone makers Samsung, LG Electronics and Pantech, at least when it comes to the handset market in the United States. Per some estimations, the manufacturers are expected to account for as much as 50 percent of the market during the ongoing year, according to the DigiTimes news site.
Both Samsung and LG managed to see increased market share in the US starting with last year, while this year they are expected to perform much better – in fact they should be placed on the first and second positions on the market, sources from the mobile phone market in Taiwan suggest. According to the same estimations, Samsung is expected to gain as much as 25 percent market share in the United States, up from the 23.7 percent it registered in the fourth quarter of 2008.
As many of you might already know, other mobile phone makers, including Nokia and Sony Ericsson, have put a lot of effort into gaining as much market share as possible in the US, yet it seems that the Korean manufacturers have managed to maintain a leading position and they are expected to do so in the near future as well. The fact that they have both a vast expertise in the manufacturing of CDMA handsets and deep cooperation relations with US carriers proves to be the basis of their success in the country.
We should be able to see some nice troop movements on the mobile phone market in the US during the ongoing year, given the fact that Samsung and LG will certainly work on maintaining their position, while Nokia or Sony Ericsson will try to gain a little more ground. At the same time, we should not forget names like RIM and Palm, which will have a percentage of their own as well.