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TRA: UAE registered smartphones increases five per cent for 2Q 2014 [CPI Financial](CPI Financial Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has revealed statistics for the second quarter of 2014 on the nation's most popular mobile phone handsets, social networking platforms and applications websites. Investigating the current state of the market, the report reveals the market share of mobile phones in the UAE by manufacturer and model. According to the report, during the period between 1 April 2013 and 30 June 2014, 57 per cent of handsets registered on the UAE's networks were Smartphones, a figure that increased by five per cent in the second quarter of 2014 alone. In terms of Smartphone models, the iPhone 5S was the most commonly used Smartphone in the UAE comprising 3.5 per cent of total handsets registered on UAE networks, a figure that increased by 22 per cent during Q2 2014. The report illustrates that the iPhone 5 was the second most popular Smartphone with 2.6 per cent of the market share. The third most commonly used Smartphone was the Samsung S III (2.6 per cent), followed by iPhone 4S (1.9 per cent), Samsung S4 LTE (1.8 per cent), Galaxy S Duos (1.7 per cent), iPhone 4 (1.5 per cent), Samsung Grand (1.2 per cent); Samsung Note 3 (1.2 per cent),BlackBerry Bold 9900 (1.2 per cent); Samsung S3 Mini (0.8 per cent). Commenting on the review, H.E. Majed Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General – Telecom Sector, said, "The report illustrates a number of interesting trends emerging in the UAE's mobile handset market. It also demonstrates the dynamic nature of consumer patterns in relation to handset choices." "The findings derived from the TRA's latest piece of research reinforce the vibrancy of the UAE's mobile sector. The TRA is committed to producing research that accurately depicts the current state of the market which in turn, enables the UAE to track its progress and remain ahead of the global mobile industry curve," he added. In relation to Smartphones, the iPhone 5s recorded the highest increase in market share during the second quarter of 2014, replacing the iPhone 5 as the most popular smartphone and replacing the Nokia 101/1010 as being the most commonly used handset in the UAE. The market shares of the Galaxy S Duos, Samsung S4 LTE, Samsung S5 LTE and Samsung Note 3 increased whereas the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, and BlackBerry Bold 9900 fell. The report indicates that 46 per cent of all handsets registered on UAE networks were manufactured by Nokia, although this figure has been declining over time. This figure decreased by four per cent in Q2 2014. This was followed by Samsung (22.5 per cent), Apple (10 per cent), BlackBerry (6.8 per cent), LG (0.9 per cent), and HTC (0.9 per cent). Unlike Nokia and Blackberry, Samsung and Apple recorded increases in their market shares in Q2 2014. In terms of specific handset models, the iPhone 5s was the most popular mobile handset in UAE in Q2. The Nokia 101/1010 (3.1 per cent) was the second most popular handset followed by the iPhone 5 (2.7 per cent), both the Samsung S III and Nokia 1280/1282 at (2.6 per cent), Nokia E5 (2.3 per cent), Nokia X1 (2 per cent), iPhone 4S (1.9 per cent), Samsung S4 LTE (1.8 per cent), Galaxy S Duos (1.7 per cent), iPhone 4 (1.8 per cent), Samsung Grand (1.2 per cent), Samsung Note 3 (1.2 per cent),BlackBerry Bold 9900 (1.2 per cent);and Samsung S3 Mini (0.8 per cent). The report also provides information on the most popular mobile operating systems used in the UAE. The use of Symbian is declining over time and the Android was the most commonly used operating system in the UAE as of Q2-2014. The market share of iOS is increasing while RIMs (the operating system for Blackberry) is decreasing. During the period from 1 April 2014 to 30 June 2014, users of Smartphones and fixed Internet services in the UAE visited various applications websites. Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Samsung Apps, Android Applications, Nokia OVI while Blackberry App came last. The number of visits to BlackBerry and Nokia applications websites has been declining over time while the volume of visits to Apple iTunes and Samsung is progressively increasing. In terms of social media, UAE Smartphone and fixed Internet users made a total of 35 billion visits to social networking websites during the period 1 April 2014 to 30 June 2014. Visits to Facebook accounted for 86 per cent of total visits to social networking sites, followed by Twitter with 11 per cent of visits, then LinkedIn, Maktoob and MySpace. (c) 2014 CPI Financial. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |