新浪科技讯 2月18日下午1:30消息，中国互联网络信息中心(CNNIC)刚刚在北京发布《中国手机媒体研究报告》。该报告显示，我国移动互联网应用产品不断完善，用户上网粘度快速提高，具有广阔发展前景。
CNNIC称，这一较高增长率与移动用户规模高速增长有关，同时也受移动运营商推广活动和奥运热潮的影响。CNNIC还指出，娱乐应用逐渐占据手机上网应用的主流，80后群体已成为手机上网主力军。
80后群体成手机上网主力
根据此前调研资料显示，截至2008年底，中国手机用户已超过6.4亿，而通过手机上网的用户数量已超过1.176亿，随着手机普及率的逐年提高，手机互联网在规模上呈现直追传统互联网的趋势。
CNNIC统计数据显示，目前移动互联网用户仍以男性用户为主，占到整体的74.6%。与此同时，女性用户的比例正在逐年增长，预计在五年内能实现男女比例的基本平衡。80后群体由于对新事物有新鲜感，成为移动互联网的主体用户，占手机网民总数的70.8%。
根据本次调查，我国手机上网用户的上网频率正稳步提高，每天多次使用手机上网的用户占到了34%。《报告(简版)》分析指出，这一趋势将长期维持，形成更高的移动互联网使用率。
交友社区类产品发展迅速
移动互联网应用产品中，应用率最高的依然为即时通信类，占整体的31.2%，庞大的用户群使其拥有了良好的发展基础。
而交友社区类产品则在2008年取得了显著的市场突破，除了多家机构在此领域的重点投资形成潮流外，此类产品强大的聚众能力也为其发展提供了有利条件。此外，多家手机社区类网站在2008年也取得了较大的市场进展。
娱乐应用成用户主流选择
娱乐应用依然是移动互联网用户选择的主流。手机音乐保持着较高的应用率，活跃用户约600万。手机电视、手机博客等也正在获得更多手机网民的青睐，活跃用户数量约200万。不过，此次调查也显示，商务与学习类的产品，正在快速发展，特别是手机WAP邮箱业务，活跃用户总量已达到约240万。
此外，受3G时代到来的影响，一些传统的大牌互联网企业开始发力移动互联网市场，对原有产业链格局带来了较大的影响。而移动互联网公司的强势市场，仍然是一些具有技术针对性的领域，如手机阅读、手机电视等。
Showing posts with label China market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China market. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
China's handset market expansion continues in 2009
Mobile Phones in China
China's domestic wireless phone market is set to maintain its growth in 2009, with a 7.7 percent increase for the year
China's domestic wireless phone market is set to maintain its growth in 2009, with a 7.7 percent increase for the year
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Defying an expected 10.7 percent decline in global mobile handset shipments, China's domestic wireless phone market is set to maintain its growth in 2009, with a 7.7 percent increase for the year, according to iSuppli Corp.
iSuppli forecasts the domestic handset market will reach 239.1 million units in 2009, up 7.7 percent from 222.1 million in 2008.
"China's three wireless operators are attracting new subscribers by reducing service fees. This will greatly contribute to demand from first-time buyers," said Kevin Wang, senior manager of China research at iSuppli. "New subscribers are expected to exceed 90 million in 2009. Furthermore, more existing mobile users will be subscribe to a second number. Beyond that, the government's broadened subsidy policy for consumer electronics purchases will stimulate demand in rural areas."
The figure presents iSuppli's forecast of domestic mobile handset shipments by technology, including gray-market products.
Domestic authorized handset market shipments surpassed 180 million units in 2008. Meanwhile, the domestic gray market decreased to about 40 million units in 2008, down from more than 50 million units in 2007. A number of gray market suppliers became authorized brand-name companies. Their business grew dramatically in tier-three and tier-four urban and rural markets.
Foreign handset OEMs occupied 56 percent of China's handset market for 2008. Nokia was the largest handset supplier in China in 2008 with a 37 percent market share. At the same time, Samsung expanded its share of handset shipments.
Tianyu will continue to be the leading Chinese brand in terms of domestic shipments.
3G arrives at lastThere is no doubt that the Chinese government finally will issue 3G licenses in 2009. However, domestic 3G handset shipments will not increase dramatically during the year.
The total domestic 3G handset market is expected to reach 8 million units in 2009. Low-cost multimedia GSM and ultra-low-cost CDMA handsets should be among the best-selling products of 2009. However, smart phones and handsets supporting 3G and the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) standard also will represent high-growth segments.
In term of total unit shipments, Huawei and ZTE are likely to be the leaders in China's 3G handset market.
Both were anticipated to ship more than 30 million units in 2008. Moreover, Huawei is now the largest 3G data card supplier in the world. At the time this was written, Chinese handset manufacturers collectively were projected to ship more than 300 million handsets by the end of 2008. iSuppli forecasts that Chinese handset manufacturers will ship more than 360 million units in 2009 driven by both domestic and export markets.©CIOL Bureau
Friday, January 23, 2009
国产手机上市公司几乎全线预亏 供需矛盾突出
时间：2009年01月23日 10:17:12 中财网
金融海啸席卷下,国产手机的冬天看来要变得更加漫长了。近日,ST科健(000035.SZ)发布2008年全年预亏公告,加上此前已经发出预亏公告的波导股份(600130.SH)、*ST夏新(600057.SH),几乎全线国产手机上市公司2008年都将交出亏损的成绩单。 手机业务一片惨淡 ST科健本来在2008年前三季度曾报出了赢利1.04亿元的好成绩,但是在金融海啸影响下,其主要盈利单元---控股35%的三星科健在2008年第四季度的业务也出现了大幅下滑,初步估计将亏损2.524亿元,这使得前三季度的所有获利成果都付诸流水。ST科健预亏公告称,目前初步估计上市公司全年的亏损约为1000万元。 和ST科健还有一个会生蛋的金鸡相比,完全依靠自身的波导股份和*ST夏新相比情况就显得更糟。此前,波导股份发布的2008年预亏公告称,在2007年亏损逾5.9亿元之后,预计2008年维持亏损局面,而"国内市场竞争激烈导致国内销售规模下降"是亏损的主要原因。*ST夏新发布的2008年年度业绩预告及暂停上市风险提示性公告则显示,其2008年1-9月归属于上市公司股东的净利润为-4.65亿元之多,估计全年业绩也将亏损。 就连早已退出自主品牌手机业务,专心为摩托罗拉代工的东方通信也因为行业环境恶化,旗下专职代工的杭州东信移动电话有限公司的代工量大幅减少,导致净利润大幅下滑,并且有全年告亏的可能。 供需矛盾日益突出 其实从2005年开始,国产手机上市公司的业绩表现就呈现出滑坡势头,到2007年,波导、夏新、科健等都出现了史上最大幅度的亏损。究其原因,资金链管理不善、渠道成本控制欠佳、产品技术竞争力薄弱都扮演着颇为重要的角色。但是更加重要的一点,也是各大上市公司在年报中反复强调的一点,就是山寨手机在市场的横行,大大压缩正规国产手机的生存空间和利润空间。 由于山寨手机的日益扩张,国内手机市场从2006年就开始出现供需失衡的状况,供给远远大于需求。统计数据显示,到2008年上半年,内地手机产能已经达到了约2.79亿部,但同期手机市场仅售出9640.3万部,供过于求的形势更加严峻。2006年中开始,山寨手机大面积出动,用超低价战略又将本来正规国产手机寄予厚望的四、五线城市和乡村市场占据。深圳战国策分析师杨群分析指出,近几年来渠道商侵占手机厂商利润的现象也十分突出。没有山寨机无售后、无税收的超低成本竞争力,正规手机厂商除了长虹、天语、金立等新晋厂商外,盈利能力的下滑十分严重,毛利率甚至跌到了10%以下,这也是造成国产手机上市公司近几年连年大亏的重要原因。
□ .程.鹏 .南.方.日.报
金融海啸席卷下,国产手机的冬天看来要变得更加漫长了。近日,ST科健(000035.SZ)发布2008年全年预亏公告,加上此前已经发出预亏公告的波导股份(600130.SH)、*ST夏新(600057.SH),几乎全线国产手机上市公司2008年都将交出亏损的成绩单。 手机业务一片惨淡 ST科健本来在2008年前三季度曾报出了赢利1.04亿元的好成绩,但是在金融海啸影响下,其主要盈利单元---控股35%的三星科健在2008年第四季度的业务也出现了大幅下滑,初步估计将亏损2.524亿元,这使得前三季度的所有获利成果都付诸流水。ST科健预亏公告称,目前初步估计上市公司全年的亏损约为1000万元。 和ST科健还有一个会生蛋的金鸡相比,完全依靠自身的波导股份和*ST夏新相比情况就显得更糟。此前,波导股份发布的2008年预亏公告称,在2007年亏损逾5.9亿元之后,预计2008年维持亏损局面,而"国内市场竞争激烈导致国内销售规模下降"是亏损的主要原因。*ST夏新发布的2008年年度业绩预告及暂停上市风险提示性公告则显示,其2008年1-9月归属于上市公司股东的净利润为-4.65亿元之多,估计全年业绩也将亏损。 就连早已退出自主品牌手机业务,专心为摩托罗拉代工的东方通信也因为行业环境恶化,旗下专职代工的杭州东信移动电话有限公司的代工量大幅减少,导致净利润大幅下滑,并且有全年告亏的可能。 供需矛盾日益突出 其实从2005年开始,国产手机上市公司的业绩表现就呈现出滑坡势头,到2007年,波导、夏新、科健等都出现了史上最大幅度的亏损。究其原因,资金链管理不善、渠道成本控制欠佳、产品技术竞争力薄弱都扮演着颇为重要的角色。但是更加重要的一点,也是各大上市公司在年报中反复强调的一点,就是山寨手机在市场的横行,大大压缩正规国产手机的生存空间和利润空间。 由于山寨手机的日益扩张,国内手机市场从2006年就开始出现供需失衡的状况,供给远远大于需求。统计数据显示,到2008年上半年,内地手机产能已经达到了约2.79亿部,但同期手机市场仅售出9640.3万部,供过于求的形势更加严峻。2006年中开始,山寨手机大面积出动,用超低价战略又将本来正规国产手机寄予厚望的四、五线城市和乡村市场占据。深圳战国策分析师杨群分析指出,近几年来渠道商侵占手机厂商利润的现象也十分突出。没有山寨机无售后、无税收的超低成本竞争力,正规手机厂商除了长虹、天语、金立等新晋厂商外,盈利能力的下滑十分严重,毛利率甚至跌到了10%以下,这也是造成国产手机上市公司近几年连年大亏的重要原因。
□ .程.鹏 .南.方.日.报
Thursday, January 8, 2009
中国发3G牌照 能拉动电信投资
中国政府正式为三家电信运营商发放第三代移动通信(3G)牌照。分析人士说，此举的目的不仅在于加速中国信息产业的升级，同时也是中国政府经济刺激方案的重要步骤。
中国工业和信息化部为中国最大的三家电信运营商分别颁发了第三代移动通信(3G)牌照。
正如业界最近几个月来的普遍预期，占中国无线通信市场份额近四分之三的中国移动通信集团公司(China Mobile)获得了中国自主研发的TD-SCDMA业务经营许可；中国电信集团公司(China Telecom)以及中国联合网络通信集团公司(China Unicom)分别获得了美国研发的CDMA2000标准以及欧洲研发和WCDMA标准的业务经营许可。
俗称3G的第三代移动通信标准和第二代相比，最主要的区别在于通信信道容量的大幅度增加。在3G标准下，手机数据传输速度将比现有网络提升几十倍以上。这意味着手机用户下载网页、音频、视频的速度将大大加快。
手机超级大国
目前，中国手机用户已经超过6亿3千万人，移动通信网络规模和用户都居于世界首位。中国工业和信息化部的数据显示，2008年前11个月，中国电信业务总量累计完成超过两万零460亿元人民币，同比增长百分之21点7。电信产业目前占中国GDP比重已经增加到百分之7左右。
扩大投资需求
华盛顿智库国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任詹姆斯·路易斯(James Lewis)说，3G牌照的正式发放不仅将对中国电信业的升级换代产生深远影响，同时也将进一步扩大中国国内的投资需求，为产业供应链上的设备制造商以及增值服务提供商创造扩张机会。他说：
“全球经济处于衰退，很多国家都在寻找刺激经济的办法。把钱花在信息产业升级是个很流行的做法。很多国家都在这么做。就中国的情况而言，向3G升级的决定是非常合理的。中国市场和手机用户现在对于3G网络的需求很大，这是电信技术发展的最新趋势。”
中国工业和信息化部长李毅中说，按照电信企业各自的发展规划，2009年和2010年中国预计完成3G直接投资2800亿元人民币。
中国媒体援引业内分析人士报导说，中国在2008年经历的雪灾、地震、奥运等一系列事件都在不同程度上刺激了电信运营商的建网速度。新年伊始推出的3G投资将有助于形成一条包括3G网络建设、终端设备制造、运营服务、信息服务在内的通信产业链。除了政府预计的直接投资外，3G升级有望在未来三年内拉动近两万亿元社会投资。
外商受益
里昂证券亚州电信业研究主管郑名凯对财经媒体彭博新闻社表示，包括爱利信在内的国外无线通讯设备提供商将成为中国电信产业升级的最大受益者。郑名凯估计，中国移动和中国联通将各自投资一千亿元人民币用于网络升级，中国电信将投资 800亿元。全球最大的无线设备制造商爱利信的首席执行官卡尔-亨利克·斯万伯格去年年底表示，由于中国政府即将推出3G升级计划，爱利信预计2009年在中国市场的销售业绩将有不俗表现。
三种标准角逐
行业数字显示，截至2008年1月，全球总共发放3G牌照超过210张。其中，W-CDMA的用户数量发展速度大大超过CDMA2000等其他主要标准。不过，在全球超过6亿人的3G用户当中，CDMA2000用户超过了三分之二。在包括美国、欧洲、日本等主要电信市场普遍采用这两种标准的同时，中国政府把国内自主研发的TD-SCDMA业务经营许可颁发给目前全球市值最大的电信企业中国移动。
福布斯杂志的分析文章指出，和主导全球的W-CDMA制式相比，TD-SCDMA在安装和维护方面将更加昂贵。该杂志因此认为，中国移动在采用TD-SCDMA标准过程中承受的额外负担将有助于优化中国国内电信产业的竞争结构。
民族主义和国家安全
不过，华盛顿智库国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任路易斯(James Lewis)对于中国政府的升级3G的产业布局做出不同解读。他说：
“中国的信息产业政策始终带有一种民族主义成分。其主要目的是保护中国自主研发的知识产权不受国外竞争的冲击。所以，3G牌照以这种形式发放并不奇怪。此外，由于TD-SCDMA是北京唯一完全掌控的3G标准，因此这个决定也有国家安全的考虑。”
中国移动发表声明说，3G牌照发放后，中国具有核心知识产权的TD-SCDMA的发展将进入一个新的阶段。中国移动表示，已经在2008年末完成了TD-SCDMA与2G网的融合工程。
用户激增还是考验重重?
麦格里集团驻香港的亚太地区电信市场研究主管蒂姆·斯马特预计，按照中国政府目前的构想，中国的3G用户将在未来三年内激增至一亿零三百万人。
不过，国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任路易斯指出，尽管中国无线通讯网络升级已经正式启动，但和美国、欧洲、日本、澳大利亚等市场相比，3G技术在中国发展还面临时间、政策以及消费者信心等多重考验。尤其是受到经济减速的影响，中国今年的电信行业从整体上看增速将比2008年放慢。
中国工业和信息化部为中国最大的三家电信运营商分别颁发了第三代移动通信(3G)牌照。
正如业界最近几个月来的普遍预期，占中国无线通信市场份额近四分之三的中国移动通信集团公司(China Mobile)获得了中国自主研发的TD-SCDMA业务经营许可；中国电信集团公司(China Telecom)以及中国联合网络通信集团公司(China Unicom)分别获得了美国研发的CDMA2000标准以及欧洲研发和WCDMA标准的业务经营许可。
俗称3G的第三代移动通信标准和第二代相比，最主要的区别在于通信信道容量的大幅度增加。在3G标准下，手机数据传输速度将比现有网络提升几十倍以上。这意味着手机用户下载网页、音频、视频的速度将大大加快。
手机超级大国
目前，中国手机用户已经超过6亿3千万人，移动通信网络规模和用户都居于世界首位。中国工业和信息化部的数据显示，2008年前11个月，中国电信业务总量累计完成超过两万零460亿元人民币，同比增长百分之21点7。电信产业目前占中国GDP比重已经增加到百分之7左右。
扩大投资需求
华盛顿智库国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任詹姆斯·路易斯(James Lewis)说，3G牌照的正式发放不仅将对中国电信业的升级换代产生深远影响，同时也将进一步扩大中国国内的投资需求，为产业供应链上的设备制造商以及增值服务提供商创造扩张机会。他说：
“全球经济处于衰退，很多国家都在寻找刺激经济的办法。把钱花在信息产业升级是个很流行的做法。很多国家都在这么做。就中国的情况而言，向3G升级的决定是非常合理的。中国市场和手机用户现在对于3G网络的需求很大，这是电信技术发展的最新趋势。”
中国工业和信息化部长李毅中说，按照电信企业各自的发展规划，2009年和2010年中国预计完成3G直接投资2800亿元人民币。
中国媒体援引业内分析人士报导说，中国在2008年经历的雪灾、地震、奥运等一系列事件都在不同程度上刺激了电信运营商的建网速度。新年伊始推出的3G投资将有助于形成一条包括3G网络建设、终端设备制造、运营服务、信息服务在内的通信产业链。除了政府预计的直接投资外，3G升级有望在未来三年内拉动近两万亿元社会投资。
外商受益
里昂证券亚州电信业研究主管郑名凯对财经媒体彭博新闻社表示，包括爱利信在内的国外无线通讯设备提供商将成为中国电信产业升级的最大受益者。郑名凯估计，中国移动和中国联通将各自投资一千亿元人民币用于网络升级，中国电信将投资 800亿元。全球最大的无线设备制造商爱利信的首席执行官卡尔-亨利克·斯万伯格去年年底表示，由于中国政府即将推出3G升级计划，爱利信预计2009年在中国市场的销售业绩将有不俗表现。
三种标准角逐
行业数字显示，截至2008年1月，全球总共发放3G牌照超过210张。其中，W-CDMA的用户数量发展速度大大超过CDMA2000等其他主要标准。不过，在全球超过6亿人的3G用户当中，CDMA2000用户超过了三分之二。在包括美国、欧洲、日本等主要电信市场普遍采用这两种标准的同时，中国政府把国内自主研发的TD-SCDMA业务经营许可颁发给目前全球市值最大的电信企业中国移动。
福布斯杂志的分析文章指出，和主导全球的W-CDMA制式相比，TD-SCDMA在安装和维护方面将更加昂贵。该杂志因此认为，中国移动在采用TD-SCDMA标准过程中承受的额外负担将有助于优化中国国内电信产业的竞争结构。
民族主义和国家安全
不过，华盛顿智库国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任路易斯(James Lewis)对于中国政府的升级3G的产业布局做出不同解读。他说：
“中国的信息产业政策始终带有一种民族主义成分。其主要目的是保护中国自主研发的知识产权不受国外竞争的冲击。所以，3G牌照以这种形式发放并不奇怪。此外，由于TD-SCDMA是北京唯一完全掌控的3G标准，因此这个决定也有国家安全的考虑。”
中国移动发表声明说，3G牌照发放后，中国具有核心知识产权的TD-SCDMA的发展将进入一个新的阶段。中国移动表示，已经在2008年末完成了TD-SCDMA与2G网的融合工程。
用户激增还是考验重重?
麦格里集团驻香港的亚太地区电信市场研究主管蒂姆·斯马特预计，按照中国政府目前的构想，中国的3G用户将在未来三年内激增至一亿零三百万人。
不过，国际与战略研究中心技术和公共政策项目主任路易斯指出，尽管中国无线通讯网络升级已经正式启动，但和美国、欧洲、日本、澳大利亚等市场相比，3G技术在中国发展还面临时间、政策以及消费者信心等多重考验。尤其是受到经济减速的影响，中国今年的电信行业从整体上看增速将比2008年放慢。
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Motorola Slumps in China
How can the U.S. company be No. 1 again in the world's biggest cell-phone market? It'll need a sharp Razr follow-up to beat Nokia and Samsung for starters
Sanjay Jha, the new co-chief executive officer of Motorola (MOT), is looking for ways to revive the company's handset division, and China is bound to be one of his most important challenges (BusinessWeek.com, 8/4/08). The country should be easy territory for Motorola: China is the world's largest cell-phone market, with more than 500 million people owning mobile handsets, and it wasn't that long ago that Motorola was the market leader. The company, which spent many years building its operations in the country, was No. 1 in China (BusinessWeek.com, 9/23/03) until 2004.
Even after Motorola fell behind Nokia (NOK) in China, it clung to a respectable No. 2 position in the fast-growing market, and in April 2007, that second spot meant Motorola still had more than a 20% share. But as the company's fortunes suffered worldwide, its China business was no longer a sure thing. Over the past 16 months, Motorola's China sales have "plummeted," says Flora Wu, an analyst in Beijing with BDA China, a market research firm. Today, Nokia is tops in China with 38% of the market. No. 2 is now Samsung Electronics, with 16%. Motorola is a distant third, with just 7.5% market share.
What went wrong? To some extent, Motorola in China faces the same problem that plagues the company everywhere: failing to produce an encore to the tremendously successful Razr, which it introduced back in 2004. And coming out with new and interesting models is especially important in China, where big-city consumers replace their phones frequently and put a priority on models that are cool-looking but reasonably priced. Motorola "just had problems launching new and popular models," says Wu. "The Chinese market is one of the most competitive," she says. If you're an executive at a company that doesn't keep pace with what your rivals are launching, "your market share will decline sharply."
An Olympic Gag Order
It hasn't helped that Motorola's biggest rivals have been so good at tackling the China market. Samsung is a global sponsor of the Beijing Olympics, which means it is the only cell-phone maker allowed to advertise in Beijing during the Games. So, while the Korean company plasters billboards and bus stops with ads for its phones, Motorola can't respond. The U.S. company even had to take down a big sign atop its China headquarters in downtown Beijing. Samsung is also sponsoring the Chinese gold-medal-winning men's and women's gymnastics teams. "When they receive a gold medal, they're wearing the Samsung shirt," boasts spokesman Gyehyun Kwon, a Samsung corporate vice-president. "That way, Chinese people [see] Samsung is really helping the Chinese people."
For its part, Nokia remains comfortably ahead of the pack in the country, with models ranging from high-end handsets for affluent residents of big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to inexpensive entry-level phones suitable for new users in the countryside. "Nokia has really covered every segment of the market," says Dave Carini, an analyst in Beijing with market-research firm Maverick China Research. To develop its China business further, the Finnish company announced last month plans for an additional $150 million in its in-house venture capital fund targeting potential investments in China and India.
Restructuring May Boost Motorola
The news from China hasn't been all bleak for Motorola, however. The Schaumburg (Ill.) company has managed to win some important infrastructure contracts recently. For instance, early this month Motorola announced in the first half of the year it had landed $431 million in contracts to provide China Mobile (CHL), the country's top cellular operator, with second-generation GSM equipment. That's up from $394 million for the same period in 2007.
A government-backed restructuring of the country's state-owned operators might also boost Motorola's business, says Simon Leung, president of Motorola Asia-Pacific. Following the restructuring, there will be three Chinese cellular operators: China Mobile, current No. 2 China Unicom (CHU), and China Telecom (CHA), which until now had been a fixed-line operator without a cellular business. Motorola, says Leung, has good relationships with each operator. "We are the only ones with the technology to address the needs of all three of them," he says. "We are in a very good position."
Stay Tuned for New Models
When it comes to handsets, "we do have a gap" with the market leaders, Leung concedes. "We took our eyes off the ball a little bit. We didn't have the phones in the market at the right time." Still, he points to several new models that the company plans to introduce soon. "Stay tuned," he says.
BDA's Wu agrees that Motorola isn't out of the running completely in the Chinese handset market, since the company has significant R&D resources it can utilize to help it rebuild. But Motorola's rivals aren't standing still, and the company's missteps have hurt its reputation among Chinese consumers. "The brand has suffered," she says. "The problem cannot be sorted out in a short period of time."
Einhorn is BusinessWeek's Asia Regional Editor in Hong. With Chi-Chu Tschang in Beijing
Sanjay Jha, the new co-chief executive officer of Motorola (MOT), is looking for ways to revive the company's handset division, and China is bound to be one of his most important challenges (BusinessWeek.com, 8/4/08). The country should be easy territory for Motorola: China is the world's largest cell-phone market, with more than 500 million people owning mobile handsets, and it wasn't that long ago that Motorola was the market leader. The company, which spent many years building its operations in the country, was No. 1 in China (BusinessWeek.com, 9/23/03) until 2004.
Even after Motorola fell behind Nokia (NOK) in China, it clung to a respectable No. 2 position in the fast-growing market, and in April 2007, that second spot meant Motorola still had more than a 20% share. But as the company's fortunes suffered worldwide, its China business was no longer a sure thing. Over the past 16 months, Motorola's China sales have "plummeted," says Flora Wu, an analyst in Beijing with BDA China, a market research firm. Today, Nokia is tops in China with 38% of the market. No. 2 is now Samsung Electronics, with 16%. Motorola is a distant third, with just 7.5% market share.
What went wrong? To some extent, Motorola in China faces the same problem that plagues the company everywhere: failing to produce an encore to the tremendously successful Razr, which it introduced back in 2004. And coming out with new and interesting models is especially important in China, where big-city consumers replace their phones frequently and put a priority on models that are cool-looking but reasonably priced. Motorola "just had problems launching new and popular models," says Wu. "The Chinese market is one of the most competitive," she says. If you're an executive at a company that doesn't keep pace with what your rivals are launching, "your market share will decline sharply."
An Olympic Gag Order
It hasn't helped that Motorola's biggest rivals have been so good at tackling the China market. Samsung is a global sponsor of the Beijing Olympics, which means it is the only cell-phone maker allowed to advertise in Beijing during the Games. So, while the Korean company plasters billboards and bus stops with ads for its phones, Motorola can't respond. The U.S. company even had to take down a big sign atop its China headquarters in downtown Beijing. Samsung is also sponsoring the Chinese gold-medal-winning men's and women's gymnastics teams. "When they receive a gold medal, they're wearing the Samsung shirt," boasts spokesman Gyehyun Kwon, a Samsung corporate vice-president. "That way, Chinese people [see] Samsung is really helping the Chinese people."
For its part, Nokia remains comfortably ahead of the pack in the country, with models ranging from high-end handsets for affluent residents of big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to inexpensive entry-level phones suitable for new users in the countryside. "Nokia has really covered every segment of the market," says Dave Carini, an analyst in Beijing with market-research firm Maverick China Research. To develop its China business further, the Finnish company announced last month plans for an additional $150 million in its in-house venture capital fund targeting potential investments in China and India.
Restructuring May Boost Motorola
The news from China hasn't been all bleak for Motorola, however. The Schaumburg (Ill.) company has managed to win some important infrastructure contracts recently. For instance, early this month Motorola announced in the first half of the year it had landed $431 million in contracts to provide China Mobile (CHL), the country's top cellular operator, with second-generation GSM equipment. That's up from $394 million for the same period in 2007.
A government-backed restructuring of the country's state-owned operators might also boost Motorola's business, says Simon Leung, president of Motorola Asia-Pacific. Following the restructuring, there will be three Chinese cellular operators: China Mobile, current No. 2 China Unicom (CHU), and China Telecom (CHA), which until now had been a fixed-line operator without a cellular business. Motorola, says Leung, has good relationships with each operator. "We are the only ones with the technology to address the needs of all three of them," he says. "We are in a very good position."
Stay Tuned for New Models
When it comes to handsets, "we do have a gap" with the market leaders, Leung concedes. "We took our eyes off the ball a little bit. We didn't have the phones in the market at the right time." Still, he points to several new models that the company plans to introduce soon. "Stay tuned," he says.
BDA's Wu agrees that Motorola isn't out of the running completely in the Chinese handset market, since the company has significant R&D resources it can utilize to help it rebuild. But Motorola's rivals aren't standing still, and the company's missteps have hurt its reputation among Chinese consumers. "The brand has suffered," she says. "The problem cannot be sorted out in a short period of time."
Einhorn is BusinessWeek's Asia Regional Editor in Hong. With Chi-Chu Tschang in Beijing
Thursday, August 14, 2008
China handset production to top 605 million units in 2008, says CCID
Aug 14, 11:29
The production volumes of handsets in China are expected to top 605 million units in 2008 compared to the 550 million units produced in 2007, according to data released from China-based CCID Consulting
The production volumes of handsets in China are expected to top 605 million units in 2008 compared to the 550 million units produced in 2007, according to data released from China-based CCID Consulting
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Smartphone sales in China up 32% on year in 1H 2008, says CCID
Aug 13, 11:32
Unit sales of smartphones in the China market grew 32% on year to 15 million units in the first half of 2008, according to data released from China-based CCID Consulting
Unit sales of smartphones in the China market grew 32% on year to 15 million units in the first half of 2008, according to data released from China-based CCID Consulting
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
China mobile handset user base grows to 600.76 million in June
Jul 29, 11:42
There were 600.76 million subscribers for mobile communication services in China as of the end of June 2008, representing growth of 1.46% on month and 19.76% on year, according to statistics published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT, renamed from Ministry of Information Industry).
There were 600.76 million subscribers for mobile communication services in China as of the end of June 2008, representing growth of 1.46% on month and 19.76% on year, according to statistics published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT, renamed from Ministry of Information Industry).
Thursday, July 24, 2008
China handset-design houses finding it hard to survive
A number of handset-design companies in China have been forced to either suspend or trim down their operations due to slack business resulting from keen competition, according to industry sources.
TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology has reportedly reduced its workforce from 1,300 to 300, and Shanghai Simcom, a subsidiary of SIM Technology, has trimmed down the size of its TD-SCDMA unit, the sources indicated.
TechFaith has actually cut off its GSM unit following the massive layoffs and has switched its focus mainly to the development of 3G handsets, the sources noted.
Gilbert Lee, CEO of TechFaith, while confirming that the company has laid off a part of its workforce, said that the extent of layoffs is not as large as has reported, and also insisted that the action was part of cost-down measures.
In addition to 3G models, TechFaith has also entered the development of Windows Mobile-based smartphones, MID (Mobile Internet Device) products and 3.5G data cards, according to market sources.
The availability of low-cost handset platforms from Taiwan-based MediaTek has caused a proliferation of small-scale handset-design companies in China, which have little differentiation in product designs, pointed out the market sources.
Source:DIGITIMES
TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology has reportedly reduced its workforce from 1,300 to 300, and Shanghai Simcom, a subsidiary of SIM Technology, has trimmed down the size of its TD-SCDMA unit, the sources indicated.
TechFaith has actually cut off its GSM unit following the massive layoffs and has switched its focus mainly to the development of 3G handsets, the sources noted.
Gilbert Lee, CEO of TechFaith, while confirming that the company has laid off a part of its workforce, said that the extent of layoffs is not as large as has reported, and also insisted that the action was part of cost-down measures.
In addition to 3G models, TechFaith has also entered the development of Windows Mobile-based smartphones, MID (Mobile Internet Device) products and 3.5G data cards, according to market sources.
The availability of low-cost handset platforms from Taiwan-based MediaTek has caused a proliferation of small-scale handset-design companies in China, which have little differentiation in product designs, pointed out the market sources.
Source:DIGITIMES
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
China handset-design houses finding it hard to survive
Jul 22, 14:35
A number of handset-design companies in China have been forced to either suspend or trim down their operations due to slack business resulting from keen competition, according to industry sources.
A number of handset-design companies in China have been forced to either suspend or trim down their operations due to slack business resulting from keen competition, according to industry sources.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
China market: Nearly half of handset users bring monthly ARPU under 100 yuan
Jun 26, 14:06
Of mobile communication service subscribers in the China market, 48.7% generated a monthly ARPU (average revenues per user) of less than 100 yuan (US$14.3), according to a survey undertaken by China-based consulting company Analysys International during April 29-May 23 2008
Of mobile communication service subscribers in the China market, 48.7% generated a monthly ARPU (average revenues per user) of less than 100 yuan (US$14.3), according to a survey undertaken by China-based consulting company Analysys International during April 29-May 23 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Symbian expanding R&D team in China
2 April 2008
Symbian, after established an R&D center in August 2007 in Beijing, is expanding its R&D team in China, with the number of staff likely to reach 160 by the end of 2008 and further increase to 250-300 in 2009, according to market sources in China.
Consumers in China accounted for about 10% of the 77.3 million Symbian smartphones shipped to consumers worldwide in 2007, making China an increasingly important market for Symbian, the sources noted.
In addition, Symbian applications developed by developers in China currently account for one out of eight Symbian applications in use worldwide, the sources added.
Symbian, after established an R&D center in August 2007 in Beijing, is expanding its R&D team in China, with the number of staff likely to reach 160 by the end of 2008 and further increase to 250-300 in 2009, according to market sources in China.
Consumers in China accounted for about 10% of the 77.3 million Symbian smartphones shipped to consumers worldwide in 2007, making China an increasingly important market for Symbian, the sources noted.
In addition, Symbian applications developed by developers in China currently account for one out of eight Symbian applications in use worldwide, the sources added.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
China Mobile Handset Market Analysis, Q2 2008
Sept. 3, 2008
DUBLIN, Ireland, Sep 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Research and Markets ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d71610/china_mobile_hands) has announced the addition of EJL Wireless Research's new report "China Mobile Handset Market Analysis Q2 2008" to their offering.
EJL Wireless Research announces its second quarter 2008 China mobile handset production and shipment analysis report. Shipments of handsets into China for the second quarter decreased by 16.4% when compared to the first quarter of 2008. The China mobile handset analysis reports are issued on a quarterly and annual basis and provide a unique perspective on the production and sales of GSM and CDMA mobile handsets within the Chinese market. Major handset vendors analyzed include: Changhong, Haier, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and ZTE. "Nokia continued to dominate the GSM and overall handset market in China while Samsung moved past Motorola in GSM shipments to become the second largest vendor. Within the CDMA market, Huawei leapt into the top supplier position after having only entered the market in Q1 of 2008" says founder and President, Earl Lum. Demand for Motorola GSM and CDMA handsets in China continued to show weakness. GSM shipments have dropped nearly 75% in volume on a quarterly basis from 2006 levels without any signs of a recovery.
"Domestic Chinese handset suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE are poised to dominate the CDMA handset market going forward but remain at a significant disadvantage in the GSM market as foreign vendors captured 75% market share in Q2," says Lum.
This report presents an analysis of the Chinese handset market for the second quarter of 2008 and includes the following handset suppliers:
Nokia
Samsung Electronics
Motorola
Lenovo
LG
Haier
Huawei Technologies
Changhong Electric
ZTE
DUBLIN, Ireland, Sep 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Research and Markets ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d71610/china_mobile_hands) has announced the addition of EJL Wireless Research's new report "China Mobile Handset Market Analysis Q2 2008" to their offering.
EJL Wireless Research announces its second quarter 2008 China mobile handset production and shipment analysis report. Shipments of handsets into China for the second quarter decreased by 16.4% when compared to the first quarter of 2008. The China mobile handset analysis reports are issued on a quarterly and annual basis and provide a unique perspective on the production and sales of GSM and CDMA mobile handsets within the Chinese market. Major handset vendors analyzed include: Changhong, Haier, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and ZTE. "Nokia continued to dominate the GSM and overall handset market in China while Samsung moved past Motorola in GSM shipments to become the second largest vendor. Within the CDMA market, Huawei leapt into the top supplier position after having only entered the market in Q1 of 2008" says founder and President, Earl Lum. Demand for Motorola GSM and CDMA handsets in China continued to show weakness. GSM shipments have dropped nearly 75% in volume on a quarterly basis from 2006 levels without any signs of a recovery.
"Domestic Chinese handset suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE are poised to dominate the CDMA handset market going forward but remain at a significant disadvantage in the GSM market as foreign vendors captured 75% market share in Q2," says Lum.
This report presents an analysis of the Chinese handset market for the second quarter of 2008 and includes the following handset suppliers:
Nokia
Samsung Electronics
Motorola
Lenovo
LG
Haier
Huawei Technologies
Changhong Electric
ZTE
Friday, February 1, 2008
China market: Nearly 40 million GSM and CDMA handsets sold in 4Q07
1 February 2008
There were 39.96 million GSM and CDMA handsets sold in China in the fourth quarter of 2007, with Nokia, Samsung and Motorola being the top three vendors with a combined market share of 60.2%, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.
For CDMA models alone, Samsung and China-based Huawei Technologies were the top two vendors with market shares of 25.1% and 24.7%, respectively, last quarter, Analysys indicated.
The total sales volume in 2007 stood at 149.13 million handsets, rising by 64.5% from 2006 and consisting of 139.05 million GSM phones and 10.08 million CDMA phones.
There were 39.96 million GSM and CDMA handsets sold in China in the fourth quarter of 2007, with Nokia, Samsung and Motorola being the top three vendors with a combined market share of 60.2%, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.
For CDMA models alone, Samsung and China-based Huawei Technologies were the top two vendors with market shares of 25.1% and 24.7%, respectively, last quarter, Analysys indicated.
The total sales volume in 2007 stood at 149.13 million handsets, rising by 64.5% from 2006 and consisting of 139.05 million GSM phones and 10.08 million CDMA phones.
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