Gartner Group has reported that in the second quarter of 2005, the mobile phone market experienced its second-strongest sales period on record. Worldwide mobile phone sales totaled 190.5 million units in Q2 2005, a 21.6 percent increase from the same period last year, and second only to Q4 2004, when sales surpassed 195.3 million units.

Nokia and Motorola solidified their leadership positions in the marketplace, together accounting for 49.8 percent of worldwide mobile phone sales in Q2 2005. Nokia's market share grew 2.3 percentage points in Q2 2005 over Q2 of 2004 to reach 31.9 percent, while Motorola's grew 2.2 percent to reach 17.9 percent.

Mobile phone sales in North America totaled nearly 35.5 million units in the second quarter of 2005, an increase of 9.4 percent from the second quarter of 2004. Gartner analysts said this was a new record of unit sales for a second quarter in the region.

“All the regions recorded growth this quarter apart from Japan that saw a small decline in demand compared to the second quarter in 2004,” said Carolina Milanesi, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner. “The sales in the mature markets of Western Europe and North America were driven primarily by sales of phones as replacements for older models and, to a lesser extent, by first-time buyers.”

 
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