5% fall in global smartphone revenue in 2Q13, as per a study

Market research firm Infonetics Research has reported from its latest analysis that smartphone revenue totaled $74 billion in 2Q13, down 5% from 1Q13. “Despite the noise surrounding LTE handsets, W-CDMA remained the biggest driver in the smartphone market in the second quarter in terms of shipments and revenue, though W-CDMA revenue was down slightly sequentially as a result of declining ARPU,” notes Richard Webb, Infonetics Research’s directing analyst for microwave and carrier WiFi. “Lower-cost, entry-level devices based in W-CDMA in particular are growing in popularity, driven by a determined push by Chinese OEMs keen to establish a bigger market share,” Webb continues. “Also, a bigger push from leading OEMs Apple and Samsung in China and Brazil continues to drive smartphone unit growth.” Other highlights shared by Infonetics include: FDD-LTE devices are now the second largest smartphone segment and are expected to overtake W-CDMA in just a few years Sales of mobile broadband embedded tablets rose 10% sequentially in 2Q13 Consumer demand for 3G USB mobile broadband cards is softening in developed countries, where embedded device penetration is rising Enterprise demand for 3G USBs remains healthy as businesses increasingly seek to mobilize their workforces without relying on WiFi availability Samsung retained its lead in smartphone revenue market share in 2Q13, ...