TMCnet News
Samsung beats Motorola to become No. 1 handset seller in U.S.SEOUL, Nov 08, 2008 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, outperformed Motorola Inc. to become the top seller of handsets in the U.S. in the third quarter, according to an industry report released Friday. The South Korean company accounted for 22.4 percent of all mobile phones sold in the U.S. during the July-September period, outstripping Motorola Inc., whose shares dropped to 21.1 percent, market research agency Strategy Analytics said in a report. The research firm said handset shipments in the U.S. -- the largest mobile phone market in the world -- grew 6.2 percent from a year before to 47.4 million phones in the quarter. Samsung's performance, which stood at 17.9 percent a year ago, marks the company's first quarterly lead in the U.S. market, traditionally dominated by homegrown Motorola. LG Electronics Inc. stood at third place, accounting for 20.5 percent of all mobile phone shipments, according to the report. Samsung's growing retail presence and an attractive high-tier handset portfolio was cited as factors in the company becoming the top seller in the world's single largest handset market, the report assessed. The South Korean tech behemoth reported last month that it sold 51.8 million mobile phones globally in the third quarter, compared with 45.7 million units in the second quarter. |