Disqus
In addition to having handsets from leading handset makers in their portfolios, operators are looking for opportunities to forge partnerships with manufacturers, who are also more willing to accept operators’ customization and branding needs.
According to ABI Research, mobile operators will make approximately $10.7 billion worldwide through the sales of private branded handsets in 2007, almost 23% more than the $8.7 billion earned in 2006. Furthermore, analysts at ABI Research expect to see operator-branded handsets growing to over 127 million handset shipments by 2011.
A number of factors including handset delivery delays, greater customization needs, increasing demand for low cost handsets, and the growing importance of emerging markets are prompting operators to choose private branded handsets.
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
