
By 2011, 133 million multimedia phones will be shipped annually in China, according to forecasts from In-Stat. This will represent more than 80 percent of the 165 million mobile phones shipped.
"Future drivers for the multimedia phone market will stem from content availability, continuous improvements in semiconductor solutions, higher data rate wireless technologies, and the combination between mobile phones and web 2.0 networks," predicts locally-based In-stat analyst, Raymond Yan.
Built-in cameras, another driver of the move to multimedia phones, are expected to become more powerful and offer higher resolutions. "In-Stat's latest survey shows that camera capability is an underserved function for China's phone users, which suggests there is still plenty of room for market growth," said Yan.
In-Stat based its assessment of user demand on a survey of approximately 1,000 Chinese citizens, conducted earlier this year.