MWC 2014: Qualcomm optimistic about 4G smartphone market
日期：2014-03-03 阅读:959次
Josephine Lien, Barcelona; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Thursday 27 February 2014]
The release of 4G TD-LTE licenses by the China government at the end of 2013 triggered the competition in the 4G smartphone segment, and 4G models with a price tag of CNY1,000 (US$163) are likely to hit the market soon, according to Alex Katouzian, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm.
Qualcomm is optimistic about growth potential of the 4G market and has been actively strengthening its deployment in the segment, Katouzian said on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014.
According to iSuppli, shipments of 4G smartphones in China are expected to grow from 4.6 million units in 2013 to 72.6 million units in 2014 and to 144 million in 2015, 220 million in 2016 and then 300 million in 2017.
However, China Mobile, the main 4G operator in China, is more optimistic, expecting 4G smartphone sales in China to reach 200 million units in 2014.
China Mobile currently has a total of 900 million mobile phone subscribers, of which 100 million users are likely to switch to 4G services in 2014, according to industry watchers.
Total subsidies offered by China Mobile for the purchases of 4G smartphones are likely to top CNY50 billion, which will accelerate the penetration rate of the 4G models and usher in CNY1,000 models, Katouzian said.