Cell Phone Market Slows in the United States
The NPD Group, a market research firm which specializes in the wireless industry, is reporting that handset sales in the United States has totaled 28 million units in this year’s second quarter, down 13%
There is some good news despite slumping sales. American consumers are buying more expensive handsets. This has helped to boost sales value, which is down only 2% from a year ago. Also, NPD numbers don’t take into account institutional buyers. Government and business entities are helping to makeup sales numbers lost from a slowdown of individuals purchasing cell phones.
The average cell phone in NPD’s survey cost $84, up 14% from a year ago. The sale of smart phones has nearly doubled. Cell phones with a full-alphabet keyboard saw the biggest increase. At the same time, sales of cell phones that can only make calls have dropped.