Rinchi
TechInAfrica – According to the technology research and consulting firm, the International Data Corporation (IDC) report, Africa’s mobile phone market declined 2.1% quarter on quarter in 2018.
Through Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, IDC reported that the overall shipments for the quarter were 52.6 million units in total. Meanwhile, the feature phone shipments fell 2.7% and the smartphone shipment declining 1.3%.
Transion—Tecno, Infinix, and Itel—lead the feature phone space in the three quarter of 2018, with a combined unit share of 58.2%. Overall, Transsion, Samsung, and Huawei lead the smartphone space with unit shares of 34.9%, 21.7%, and 10.2% each. Nevertheless, in terms of values, Samsung dominated the smartphone market with unit shares of 37.2%, while Transsion was 21.0% and Huawei was 13.0%.
In three major markets, such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, the mobile phone shipments differed. Nigeria had an 11.6% decline in mobile shipments, meanwhile, South Africa and Kenya had respective QoQ growth of 8.5% and 7.9% in Q3 2018.
One of the research analysts of IDC, George Mbuthia, stated: “The decline in Nigeria stemmed from a slowdown in government spending, ongoing warfare in the country’s northern states, and market uncertainty in the lead up to elections.”
“In South Africa, the market’s growth was spurred by the penetration of low-end devices from brands such as Mobicel, Mint, and Nokia, while the launch of entry-level smartphones helped drive growth in Kenya despite increases in taxes and fuel prices placing a significant burden on disposable income in the country.”
In rural areas of Africa, feature phones remained popular. Consumers have gained attraction towards Chinese smartphones, such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Huawei which targeting feature-oriented users with more affordable prices.
Commenting on the trends, Ramazan Yavuz, a research manager of IDC, said: “There is a new wave of Chinese brands aggressively pursuing growth opportunities in the region, while the more-established Huawei is also accelerating its marketing efforts and expanding its distribution budget.”
“These brands have quickly progressed along the learning curve and evolved their offerings to perfectly reflect the realities of the region by addressing the diverse pricing and feature needs of the consumer base.”
IDC predicts Africa’s overall mobile phone market will reach at least 58 million units in Q4 of 2018, driven by online consumer events, including Black Friday.
