Canalys has announced that it expects 106 million mobile phones to ship in Southeast Asia this year, up 19 percent from the 90 million units that shipped in 2010.Driven primarily by smart phone growth, Canalys estimates that this number will increase to 163 million by 2015.
The analyst firm highlights several key factors fuelling the region’s smart phone market expansion, including: Southeast Asia’s positive economic outlook; operator eagerness to grow average revenue per user (ARPU) from increased data subscriptions; strong social media usage among end-users; robust demand for mobility products; and competitively priced phones.
‘Southeast Asia has a diverse but incredibly dynamic smart phone market right now’, said Managing Director of Canalys, Mobile & Asia Pacific Rachel Lashford. ‘Consumers and vendors are in a win-win situation, thanks to a powerful combination of mobile-savvy end-users and a favorable economic landscape.’
In the report which Tekedia examined, shows that smartphone shipment as a percentage of total phone will improve from 17% in 2010 to 51 in 2015. Singapore will have the biggest smartphone displacement of ordinary where it will jump from 61% in 2010 to 80% in 2015. But the driving force may be Indonesia where at the same period, the numbers will drive from 13% to 59%.
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What this report shows is that the era of normal phone is coming to an end and soon, it will be all smartphones. Nonetheless, it wil take a while before that will happen in Africa.