Nokia forecasts 10% growth in handset sales
Jorma Ollila, Nokia s chief executive, said: "2003 was a record year for the mobile-handset industry and for Nokia Mobile Phones. With volume growth of 16%, the mobile-phone market achieved record volumes of 471 million units for the year.”
Ollila said that, according to its preliminary estimates, fourth quarter 2003 shipments reached 145 million units. Nokia estimates that it has a 38% share of the market, represented by 53.3 million units shipped in the final quarter last year. This figure is an increase of 20% on the last quarter of 2002.
Looking ahead, the company said it expects first-quarter sales to rise between 3% and 7%, while the overall market for mobile devices will grow more than 10% in 2004. This would put total shipments for the current at around 520 million units.
The Finland-based company has launched dozens of new mobile-phone models in the past year, many with built-in cameras, but the average wholesale price of its phones still fell 14% in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, reaching Euro 127 ($160). However, ASPs are now increasing as customers switch to more advanced handsets.
