Samsung Aims Africa Smartphone Market

Samsung Electronics wants to double its smartphone market share in sub-Saharan Africa to 20 percent in the next year. Disclosed its business head for Africa, Samsung will focus on affordable handsets there.

South Korean companies are wooing consumers with a line of African 'Built for Africa'. It is said Kwang Kee Park, President and Chief Officer Operaationg Samsung for Africa, said the company saw some of the biggest opportunities on the continent of growing demand for cheap smartphones.

"We intend to enhance the smartphone market to 20 percent in the next year with the Galaxy Pocket," Park said as quoted by Reuters on Friday (23/03/2012).

Africa is the fastest growing mobile market in the world and according to the GSMA survey, will be the 'home' for the 738 million handsets by the end of this year. The advent of smartphones has also provided millions of internet access in Africa for the first time.

Samsung estimates that the total African market for handset devices shipped approximately 97 million with a penetration of smartphones is currently approximately 6 to 8 percent. Meanwhile, shares of Samsung in the smartphone market today Africa is in the range of 10 percent.

The company also said it wanted to increase revenue from Africa to $ 10 billion by 2015. But Park said, it depends whether pencapian Samsung was able to develop products that are locally relevant at lower prices.