Mobile phone shipments in Japan fell in May for the third straight month, although replacement demand spurred a 36.5 percent jump in shipments of high-speed third-generation models. Shipments by Japanese mobile phone makers fell 1.9 percent in May from the same month a year ago to 3.31 million units, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) said on Tuesday.
Third-generation (3G) phones, capable of high-speed Internet access, accounted for over 60 percent of total mobile shipments for the fifth consecutive month as more consumers switched out their older phones for the latest models, the industry group said.
JEITA said in December that it considered 2005 to be the turning point for the adoption of 3G. It expects mobile phone demand in Japan, where over 72 percent of the population now own a mobile phone, to rise 7.2 percent to 49.3 million units in the current business year to March 2006.
Because most Japanese already own mobile phones, the market is driven primarily by replacement demand.
NEC Corp, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd and Sharp Corp are the nation's three biggest mobile phone makers, covering about half the market.
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