The German IT and communications sector is set to return to growth in 2014 driven by smartphones and tablet computers but still trail a booming global market, an industry lobby said Sunday. On the eve of the world's biggest hi-tech fair, Germany's BITKOM said sales in IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics were due to increase 1.7 percent this year after a fall of 0.5 percent in 2013.
"The bottom line will see a plus again in 2014 but we see a divergence within the branch," said BITKOM president Dieter Kempf.
Europe's top economy is set for sales in the overall sector to reach 153.4 billion euros ($212.8 billion) in 2014, with smartphones, tablets, software and services driving business, he said.
Globally, the IT and telecommunications sector is expected to jump 4.5 percent this year compared to 2013, to nearly 3.0 trillion euros, the German lobby group has said.
While the IT sector world-wide is set for 3.8-percent growth, in Germany it will lag slightly behind, weighed down by business in desktop computers and laptops, BITKOM said.
Within the telecommunications branch, Germany is eyeing only 0.4 percent growth with sinking revenues in data and other services, compared to 5.0 percent forecast globally, the lobby said.
The US is expected to continue to boast the biggest share of the global IT and telecommunications market at 27 percent, with the European Union at 21 percent, according to BITKOM figures.
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