Handsets get a Latin Beat: Mobile users in Latin America turn to Music, Cameras and 3G.

Abstract

Over the past couple of years, the market for mobile handsets in Latin America has grown remarkably, driven by a healthy increase in mobile subscribers as well as by a vibrant replacement market. Device sales will increase further through 2012, with Brazil and Mexico the biggest opportunities. This profound transformation will involve such factors as rising mobile penetration rates, adoption of 3G, a growing replacement market and demand for music and camera features.

This report examines this transformation and what it means to both handset vendors and mobile operators. It looks at the underlying trends in the mobile market, including technology developments, mobile services demand, the competitive landscape, ARPS, the battle between the two largest mobile operators in the region, handset revenue and unit sales, ASPs, demographic factors and market shares.

• Users are upgrading from voice-only phones to devices with music and camera capabilities.
• Wide-scale deployment of 3G in Latin America is creating numerous opportunities for handset manufacturers during the 2008-2012 period.
• Sony Ericsson and LG have expanded their market shares in the region thanks to their strong portfolios, effective marketing and above all their strategic alliances with mobile operators.
• Working more closely with each other, mobile operators are actively promoting music phones while vendors are launching new handsets with pre-loaded and exclusive content.
• Forecasts of developments pay particular attention to the strengths and challenges of individual players, and the report looks at representative service providers such as BT, Com Hem and Vodafone that are pursuing distinct IMS adoption strategies. It also examines the opportunities available to telecom equipment vendors and what they are doing to capitalize on upcoming standards developments, with sections on issues such as market entry opportunities and product functionality. Vendors discussed range from Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson to Acme Packet, Iperia and Redknee.

It not only looks at past and future developments in the overall regional market, but also examines in detail the seven largest country markets: Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Chile. For each market, the Report provides a handset market overview, technology trends, handset price and revenue trends, an ASP forecast, sales of handsets by type of buyer, an analysis of the competitive landscape, a discussion of key recent campaigns and much more.

• How strong will the demand drivers such as subscription and penetration growth be in Latin America through 2012?
• How will 3G migrations affect handset demand in various countries, and when?
• What role will mobile data uptake play?
• How will the battle between America Movil and Telefonica shape the region' s markets?
• Can replacement sales keep the overall markets growing as subscriber growth slows?

Learn where the opportunities are, and how large they are in your markets. Evaluate the relative strengths of handset vendors and how they can best meet your needs. Gather insight into future developments through the Report' s extensive forecasting of multiple metrics for each of the region' s top seven countries. Benchmark handset sales against competitors or other markets. Evaluate marketing strategies and identify those that meet your needs.

Discover the markets where the opportunities match your strengths. Assess the strategies of your competitors and learn how best to respond. Evaluate operators on their requirements to form partnerships that build on what you can offer them.

Obtain data on past and future market trends for the seven largest markets in Latin America. Estimate adoption rates of new technologies and the level of infrastructure support required. Recognize the leading handset manufacturers in specific countries and the opportunities available to you.

Find out how the telecom market is changing in one of the most exciting regions of the world, and locate opportunities for your content and applications. Learn what your existing and prospective clients - whether handset manufacturers or operators - are doing, anticipate their challenges and align your offerings with their strategies.

Locate the markets where investment opportunities are greatest. Recognize the timeframes of technology changes that provide openings for new players to enter the market or for existing players to expand.

• Alcatel (TCT Mobile)
• Alegro
• America Movil
• Ancel
• Apple
• AT&T
• Audiovox
• Avantel
• BellSouth
• BenQ
• Brasil Telecom
• Cantv
• Centennial Communications
• Claro
• Comcel
• CTI
• Digicel
• Digitel
• Disney
• Entel PCS
• Facebook
• Haier Telecom
• Haitel
• Hewlett-Packard
• HTC
• Huawei
• Iusacell
• Kyocera
• LG
• Microsoft
• Millicom
• Motorola
• Movilnet
• Movistar
• Nextel (NII Holdings)
• NII Holdings (Nextel)
• Ningbo Bird
• Nokia
• Oi
• Orange
• Palm
• Panasonic
• Pantech
• Porta
• Research in Motion (BlackBerry)
• Sagem
• Samsung
• Sanyo
• Skyzen
• Sony
• Sony Ericsson
• Sprint
• TCT Mobile (Alcatel)
• Telcel
• Telecom Italia (TIM)
• Telecom Personal
• Telecom Venezuela
• Telefonica
• TIM (Telecom Italia)
• Trilogy International Partners
• UTStarcom
• Verizon Communications
• Viva
• Vivo
• Zonda
• ZTE