Nokia enjoyed the largest market share claiming 51.5 per cent in the UAE mobile phone handsets market during the fourth quarter of 2013, a figure that has been declining over time according to a study by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

This was followed by Samsung (17.9 per cent), BlackBerry (9.0 per cent), Apple (8.4 per cent), LG (0.9 per cent), HTC (0.7 per cent), Huawei (0.5 per cent) and Sony (0.3 per cent). Unlike Nokia and Blackberry, Samsung and Apple recorded increases in their market shares in Q4.

In terms of specific handset models, the Nokia 101/1010 (3.9 per cent) continues to be the most popular mobile handset in UAE in Q4.

In Q4, the Nokia 1280/1282 (3.6 per cent) was the second most popular handset followed by the iPhone 5 (3.0 per cent), Nokia E5 (2.9 per cent), Nokia X1 (2.8 per cent), Samsung SIII (2.6 per cent), iPhone 4S (2.3 per cent), iPhone 4 (1.8 per cent), both BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Galaxy S Duos at (1.7 per cent), Nokia E63 (1.4 per cent), iPhone 5S (1.2 per cent) and Samsung S4 (0.9 per cent).

Users of smartphones and fixed Internet services in the UAE visited various applications websites a total of 2.3 billion times during Q4. Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website at 84 per cent, followed by Samsung Apps at 6 per cent, Blackberry App World and Nokia OVI.

In terms of social media, UAE smartphone and fixed Internet users made a total of 11.5 billion visits to social networking websites in Q4. Visits to Facebook accounted for 84 per cent of total visits to social networking sites, followed by Twitter with 13 per cent of visits, then LinkedIn, Maktoob and MySpace.

According to the report, 51 per cent of handsets registered in Q4 on the UAE’s networks were smartphones, a figure that increased by 10 per cent during 2013 and 5 per cent in the fourth quarter alone.

In terms of smartphone models, the iPhone 5 was the most commonly used smartphone in the UAE comprising 3 per cent of the total handsets registered on UAE networks, followed by Galaxy SIII with both Samsung and Apple recording an increase in their market shares.

Majed Almesmar, TRA deputy director general for Telecommunications Sector said: “The report provides an interesting snapshot of the UAE’s mobile handset market which has very distinct characteristics in terms of consumer adoption. It also reflects a dynamic ecosystem in which both feature phones and smartphones are emerging as the future growth engines of the telecommunications industry.”

“The findings derived from the TRA’s latest piece of research reinforce the vibrancy of the UAE’s mobile sector. The TRA is committed to producing research that accurately depicts the current state of the market which in turn, enables the UAE to track its progress and remain ahead of the global mobile industry curve.” he added. – TradeArabia News Service