Motorola has consolidated its position as the leading supplier of mobile phone handsets in China, according to a report by Beijing-based Norson Telecom Consulting. It held a 31 per cent share of sales in the first half of the year, the same as at the end of 2001, while secondplaced Nokia's share fell from 30 per cent to 26 per cent over the same period. Ericsson, which has a handset joint venture with Sony, saw its market share fall from 11 per cent to 2 per cent. Siemens' share remained flat at 8 per cent, while Samsung Electronics increased its share from 4 per cent to 6 per cent.
Local manufacturers such as Hisense, Ningbo Bird and TCL increased their sales by 30 per cent over the six-month period. Last year, Chinese consumers bought 50.2m mobile phones, according to the report, making it the world's biggest wireless market.