Research & Analytics…
Broadcom Leads Home-Networking Pack
Even though it trailed sales leader Entropic, Broadcom led a recent ABI Research competitive assessment of the hybrid home-networking markets, with analysts citing its diverse portfolio of MoCA, HomePlug and Wi-Fi capabilities along with its role in STB markets. Qualcomm Atheros and MStar Semiconductor were second and third, respectively. Hybrid (wired/wireless) networking products and services will become more important revenue streams as mobile devices continue to run everyone’s lives, and companies like Broadcom that offer a range of products will help vendors develop unified platforms to suit operators’ needs.
A Mobile Phone In Every Hand (Mostly Samsung)
The numbers are in and opinions differ when it comes to all types of 2012 mobile phone sales, but all agree on the industry leader. Strategy Analytics says global mobile phone shipments grew only 2 percent, reaching 1.6 billion units, with Samsung being the star smartphone maker (25-percent marketshare). Juniper Research estimates 4Q12 smartphone sales topped 200 million, with the annual total reaching 671 million (42-percent growth compared with 2011). Juniper also cites Samsung as king, shipping a record 63 million smartphones and accounting for more than 30 percent of all smartphone shipments in the quarter. International Data Corporation weighs in, noting vendors shipped 482.5 million mobile phones in 4Q12 compared with 473.4 million units in 4Q11. More than 545 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2012, it says, up more than 10 percent from 2011.