Top 6 LTE 4G phone makers based on volume market share in Q4 2011

By Telecom Lead Team: Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, Pantech and Fujitsu are the
top 6 LTE 4G phone makers in the world in Q4 2011.

Samsung Electronics has sold 1.7 million units of LTE
phones in Q4 2011, with a market share of 41 percent.

LG Electronics sold about 800,000 units in Q4, with its market share of 20
percent exceeding the 17 percent of its Taiwanese rival HTC.

LG became the world’s second-largest LTE phone maker for the first time,
largely driven by the sales of its Optimus LTE phone, which was launched in
October.

(Please see the chart at the end of the article)

LG is showing a strong performance in smartphone sales, with its Spectrum,
Viper and Connect 4G phones gaining popularity recently, especially in the
North American market, according to a report in Korea Herald.

Pantech sold 300,000 units in the fourth quarter with a market share of 7
percent, compared to Motorola and Fujitsu that sold 400,000 and 200,000 units
respectively.

In Q4 2011, around 4.1 million LTE phones were sold globally. Samsung, LG and
Pantech took a combined 68 percent of the global LTE sales in Q4, according to
Strategy Analytics.

For the full year of 2011, Samsung topped the global market with 2.6 million
units in LTE phone sales, followed by HTC with 2 million and LG with 1.1
million.

Asia Pacific to account for 29 percent for LTE device shipments
in 2012

According to a report by Signals and Systems Telecom, Asia Pacific is set to account
for 29 percent of LTE device shipments in 2012.

North America will be the largest region with 46 percent
share. Having already witnessed over 0.2 million units shipments in 2011,
European LTE device shipments are set to grow at a CAGR of 260 percent over the
next five years.

By the end of 2012, it is expected that Europe will
account for nearly 30 percent of all LTE device shipments, representing a
market share worth 1.8 billion USD with nearly 6 million unit shipments.

Mobile operators set to avoid unlimited LTE data plans

Recently, Ovum said that unlimited data tariffs for LTE
are unsustainable because of the traffic growth and management issues they
generate. Leading operators in Asia-Pacific, the US, and Sweden are devising
new ways to transition to LTE without continuing to offer burdensome unlimited
tariffs. Experience is showing that the move to LTE without flat rates can be
achieved with positive results.

editor@telecomlead.com