Q1:Bangladesh mobile handsets mkt records 4.3 mn unit shipments

NEW DELHI, INDIA: According to CMR's Bangladesh Quarterly Mobile Handsets Market Review, Q1 CY 2013, July 2013 release the Bangladesh mobile handsets market recorded shipments of 4.3 million units during the period. Featurephones dominated the market with a share of 96.9 per cent of total shipments.

Although, quarter-on-quarter the market contracted by 6.5 pc in terms of overall unit shipments, but smartphones exhibited an extremely impressive growth of 222.2 pc in the same time-frame. Featurephones, on the other hand showed a declining trend with shipments dropping 8.5 pc QoQ, resulting in the decline in overall shipments. This trend is definitely a big challenge for players like Nokia whose smartphones portfolio is yet to show an impressive start anywhere around the globe.

"Home grown mobile handset companies continue to dominate the Bangladesh market. Symphony Mobile has retained its leadership once again, ahead of international players such as Nokia and Samsung. Strong distribution network, better customer support and international quality mobile phone models have made Symphony Mobile the most preferred choice of customers", stated Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice.

"This trend is quite similar to the India market, where we see displacement happening on the same pattern," he further added.

Bangladesh Smartphones Market

The Bangladesh market saw a rise of smartphone shipments by 222.2 pc during the period January-March 2013 over the October-December 2012, taking the overall contribution of smartphones to 3.1 pc for the period.

Commenting on the results Rajat Kharbanda, Analyst, CMR SemiTronics Practice said, "The growth clearly shows the propensity of the Bangladesh customer to adopt smartphones. However, to benefit from this growth, vendors need to offer good ‘value for money' smartphone ‘deals' including applications adapted to local needs, bundled with affordable data plans and an efficient after sales service across the country. The ability to offer an optimal mix of these elements is what makes Symphony Mobile the market leader currently."

"As an extension of their global strategy, Tier I multinational brands such as Samsung and Sony Mobiles are likely to introduce high end smartphones and superphones in the Bangladesh market. However, this will not necessarily make these players attain leadership positions in this space in the near future. They are more likely to continue to serve the niche, premium smartphones segment", Rajat concluded.