Nokia is leader in handset market with 31.5 per cent share: IDC

According to IDC's India Quarterly Mobile Handsets Tracker, in the third quarter of 2010, Finnish handset maker Nokia had the largest share of 31.5 per cent of the Indian market in terms of units shipped during the third quarter of 2010.

The Chinese brand G'Five emerged as second largest player in terms of unit shipments market share and Korean handset manufacturer Samsung stood at third position during the quarter.

''The India mobile handsets market got even more crowded and fragmented in the lower- and mid-market segments with the further entry of new players offering innovative models at attractive price points to lure buyers,'' said Anirban Banerjee, associate vice-president, research, IDC India.

The number of emerging vendors in India grew to 68 and these mobile handset providers captured 41.2 per cent of total shipments (sales) for the first time during the July-Sep 2010 quarter.

This represented a steady rise from only five new vendors representing a 0.9 per cent combined share of units shipped in the January-March 2008 quarter.

Naveen Mishra, lead analyst, mobile handsets research, IDC India, said, ''In the smartphone segment, an increasing number of vendors are displaying confidence in the Android OS, having grown from just one vendor in 3Q 2009 to as many as seven in 3Q 2010.''