3G phone sales likely to beat 2G in 2010

Sales of 3G handsets globally are expected to surpass those of 2G phones for the first time next year, thanks to a greater variety of models, a cut in the telecommunications fee and more mobile applications, Qualcomm said yesterday.

The company, the world's biggest mobile phone chip designer, will launch a chipset for 3G phones, costing less than US$30 each,in emerging markets, including China, and strengthen cooperation with partners in China to launch more 3G products, according to Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm's vice president of CDMA products.

The global 3G mobile phone sales will hit 1 billion units in 2013, double this year's level. The sales of 3G handsets will reach about 600 million units in 2010 to surpass those of 2G phones, according to United States-based Qualcomm.

"(In the 3G sector), the scale is the issue. The 3G will become a part of daily life soon," Amon said in Beijing, where Qualcomm and its 16 partners, including ZTE and Amoi, displayed 3G-related products.

The 3G technology allows users to access high-speed data services such as video call and film download onto their cell phones. China issued 3G licenses to three telecommunication carriers in January.

China is now Qualcomm's main market, accounting 23 percent of its total global revenue, and it will itself launch more products for the Chinese market or through cooperation with domestic firms, Qualcomm said.

The number of 3G users will grow rapidly from 11 million this year to 339 million in 2013, according to consulting firm BDA China.

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