Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest handset maker, swept the
Russian mobile phone market, ranking first in four categories in November last
year, a research firm said Monday.
Samsung Electronics took first
place in the Russian mobile phone market in terms of units sold and their value
in November, while its smartphones were named best products for both sales
volume and revenue, according to global market researcher GfK Group.
It was the first time that the Samsung Electronics topped the four lists at the
same time since it entered the Russian market in 1999.
By sales
volume, Samsung Electronics' mobile phones accounted for 42 percent of the
Russian handset market in November, followed by Nokia Corp. with a 35 percent
share, the researcher said. In the country's smartphone market, the South Korean
tech giant had a 41 percent market share, outpacing the Finnish firm by 10
percentage points.
Samsung Electronics said it has made efforts to get
closer to Russian consumers by opening a store in Moscow's busiest shopping
district and rolling out its flagship Galaxy series models including the Galaxy
Note.
The Wave phone, powered by Samsung Electronics' own operating
system Bada, is believed to have steered the firm to the top spot in the Russian
smartphone market, selling three times more than Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
Samsung Electronics posted a record operating profit and sales estimate for the
fourth quarter of last year, with 5.2 trillion won (US$4.51 billion) in
operating profit and 47 trillion won in sales.