LG Electronics (LGE) has announced an aggressive new step in its campaign to win a significant share of Europe`s third-generation (3G) UMTS mobile handset market.
Drawing on the most advanced technology in the entire 3G arena, LGE said it would be teaming up with Orange - one of Europe`s major 2G and 3G service providers - to launch the LG U8150, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), a tri-band mobile handset, enabling GSM/GPRS service.
The LG U8150 is representative of the company`s advanced 3G technologies and reflects LGE`s determination to lead the 3G market in handset design and innovation. LGE believes the introduction of this latest model will allow the company to consolidate its position as the leading 3G mobile manufacturer, while expanding its share in the GSM market worldwide.
In 2Q 2004, LGE was ranked second in the world in UMTS (WCDMA), with 900 000 units sold, representing 21.4% of market share, according to the Global Handset Market Update conducted by Strategy Analytics. The report also described the company as the "dark horse" of the 3G market, indicating that LGE could soon be overtaking a number of competitors in the sector.
With its successful debut in the European GSM market last year, LGE is focused on strengthening its brand image and the growing respect for its leadership in 3G - and further consolidating its position as a global player, embracing both CDMA and GSM.
The global UMTS market is now seeing increasing competition among Hutchison, Orange and Vodafone and growing by an average of 57% per annum. Industry experts forecast that market volume will increase up to 10 million units this year; 200 million units by 2008 and represent 50% of the total handset market by 2010.
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