Vodafone: Smartphones Have Reached 25% Of All Mobile Phone Sales

05.10.2011 ZF English

Sales of smartphones, mobile phones that allow users to surf the net, send emails, run games and listen to music, have surged, currently making up a quarter of Vodafone's mobile phone sales, says Andrei Oltei, terminal manager within the company.

"Whereas a year ago they accounted for 10% of the overall number of units sold, smartphones have now reached 25% and will continue to rise. Last year, smartphones accounted for 15% of Vodafone's overall mobile phone sales," Oltei told ZF.

Vodafone's management puts the increase in smartphone sales down to expanding the offers and cutting prices. "Now a smartphone that uses Google's operating system can cost as little as 19 euros plus a subscription. Increasingly more users are buying a smartphone, even if it's not a high-end terminal.

" Most smartphones sold by Vodafone run on the Google Android operating system, specified the Vodafone representative.

Oltei did not provide details on the number of smartphones or mobile phones sold by the company. However, according to some estimates, Vodafone's sales could reach around 800,000 units per year, which means the operator could sell around 200,000 smartphones in 2011.