Growth in world-wide sales of mobile telephones will slow sharply in 2008 as consumers face increased economic difficulties, a report by Gartner research institute showed on Wednesday. The US-based industry research unit predicted 11 percent growth in global sales to 1.28 billion units this year, down from a rise of 16 percent in 2007.
Sales reached nearly 305 million in the second quarter, a rise of 11.8 percent on a year earlier, it said. "The economic environment continued to negatively impact mobile phones sales in both mature and emerging markets," Gartner's head of research for mobile devices said in the institute's report.
"Replacement sales remained weak as consumers faced higher prices for fuel and food in addition to higher levels of inflation." Nokia of Finland, the world's number one phone maker, sold more than 120 million telephones and boosted its share of the market to just under 40 percent. Samsung of South Korea had 15 percent of the market with 45 million units sold, shooting far ahead of the former world number two, Motorola, on 30 million.