UAE: Dubai Partnerships with telcom operators are driving smartphone sales globally and that is also happening in the Gulf, a top official from Samsung said.

“Telecom operators are the main support for us. That partnership has pushed us to number one status in many countries,” Ashraf Fawakherji, general manager of telecommunication group at Samsung Gulf Electronics, told Gulf News on the sidelines of a press conference after unveiling the new Samsung Galaxy S3.

In the Gulf, he said around 15-20 per cent of sales are driven by telcos.

The world’s largest maker of mobile phones is confident that Galaxy S3 will help widen its lead over Apple’s iPhone.

Hotly anticipated to take on Apple, the Galaxy S3 has turned out to be an “iPhone killer”.

Pre-sale orders for the Galaxy S3 outstripped those of any previous Android-based smartphones, according to Samsung.

The 4.8-inch (12.2cm) S3 also features more computing power that supports voice commands and an eye-movement tracking feature to keep the screen from dimming. Samsung overtook Apple in smartphone sales for the first time in the first three months of this year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. The South Korea-based company sold 44.5 million smartphones in the January-March quarter, compared with Apple’s 35.1 million iPhone sales.

Healthy position

Samsung has sold 24 million Galaxy S phones, 28 million Galaxy S2 phones and seven million Galaxy Phones last year.

Looking at our product line-up, “we are in a healthy position to remain as the top phone manufacturer globally,” he said.

“We are facing a supply shortage due to strong global demand. Soft launch of the Galaxy S3 was done first in the UAE globally. Many retailers are facing a shortage of the handset,” Fawakherji said.

Samsung shipped in three containers and that was sold out in three days. The supply shortage is “expected to continue for some days,” he said.

A leading retailer said: “We have sold 9,000 units of S3 and we have told Samsung to give us more handsets.”

Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s, also said that they were facing a shortage and so far had sold 225 units. All sold out within hours of receipt. The parallel market price was in fact Dh300 to Dh400 higher than their retail price which just goes to show how severe the shortage is for the moment, he said. In the Gulf, Samsung occupies a market share of 28 per cent in the phone business and around 33 per cent in the smartphone business.

The most important part is that “we have gained consumer confidence and that is what propelled us to number one spot. No phone in the market has the same technology and features as Galaxy S3 and I don’t see any manufacturer in the next two quarters,” he said.Source: zawya.com