DUBAI: According to the data released by Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of UAE, Samsung and Apple recorded increase in their markets shares for total handsets and ranked second and third with 22.5 and 10 per cent market share, respectively.
The Smartphones registration on UAE networks increased by five per cent to 57 per cent in the second quarter of 2014 compared to the first quarter led by Apple and Samsung. Despite a four per cent decline, Nokia ranked top for all handsets registered on UAE networks. Samsung and Apple recorded increase in their markets shares for total handsets and ranked second and third with 22.5 and 10 per cent market share, respectively. BlackBerry (6.8 per cent), LG (0.9 per cent) and HTC (0.9 per cent) ranked fourth, fifth and sixth in terms of total handsets registered.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, or TRA, on Saturday revealed statistics for the April-to-June period on the nation’s most popular mobile phone handsets, social networking platforms and applications websites. Investigating the current state of the market, the report reveals the market share of mobile phones in the UAE by manufacturer and model. In terms of smartphone models, the iPhone 5s was the most commonly used smartphone in the UAE, comprising 3.5 per cent of total handsets registered on UAE networks, a figure that increased by 22 per cent during the second quarter of 2014.
The report illustrates that the iPhone 5 was the second most popular smartphone with 2.6 per cent of the market share. The third most commonly used smartphone was the Samsung SIII (2.6 per cent), followed by iPhone 4S (1.9 per cent), Samsung S4 LTE (1.8 per cent), Galaxy S Duos (1.7 per cent), iPhone 4 (1.5 per cent), Samsung Grand (1.2 per cent), Samsung Note 3 (1.2 per cent), BlackBerry Bold 9900 (1.2 per cent) and Samsung S3 Mini (0.8 per cent).
“The report illustrates a number of interesting trends emerging in the UAE’s mobile handset market. It also demonstrates the dynamic nature of consumer patterns in relation to handset choices,” said TRAs deputy director-general for the telecom sector Majed Al Mesmar. The findings derived from the TRA’s latest research reinforce the vibrancy of the UAE’s mobile sector, said Al Mesmar, adding that the TRA is committed to producing research that accurately depicts the current state of the market which in turn, enables the UAE to track its progress and remain ahead of the global mobile industry curve.
In relation to smartphones, the iPhone 5s recorded the highest increase in market share during the second quarter of 2014, replacing the iPhone 5 as the most popular smartphone and replacing the Nokia 101/1010 as being the most commonly used handset in the UAE. The market shares of the Galaxy S Duos, Samsung S4 LTE, Samsung S5 LTE and Samsung Note 3 increased whereas the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4 and BlackBerry Bold 9900 fell. The report also provided information on the most popular mobile operating systems used in the UAE. The use of Symbian is declining over time and the Android was the most commonly used operating system in the UAE as of the second quarter of 2014. The market share of iOS is increasing while RIM’s (the operating system for Blackberry) is decreasing.
During the second quarter of 2014, users of smartphones and fixed Internet services in the UAE visited various applications websites. Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Samsung Apps, Android Applications, Nokia OVI while Blackberry App came last. The number of visits to BlackBerry and Nokia applications websites has been declining over time while the volume of visits to Apple iTunes and Samsung is progressively increasing.