King Salman issues directive to name Riyadh road after Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen    Riyadh conference enhances role of education and innovation in developing museums    Saudi energy minister: It is better for OPEC+ to remain cautious    King Salman and Crown Prince congratulate new Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah    UNRWA shelters in Rafah empty as thousands flee Israeli attacks: UN agency    Saudi citizen gets 3 years in prison and SR300,000 fine for forgery involving SR34 million    Unleashing the Full Potential of Fintech: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Way Forward    Saudi Foreign Vice Minister attends inauguration of El Salvador President    Ministry of Interior starts imposing penalties on Hajj rules violators Security officials arrest over 20,000 erring visit visa holders    Saudi Aramco's $12 billion share sale sells out in hours: Bloomberg    Kuwait Crown Prince takes constitutional oath as Deputy Emir    Cristiano Ronaldo vows Al Nassr will come back stronger after King's Cup heartbreak    Makkah Police arrest two for promoting fraudulent Hajj campaign on social media    Al Hilal clinches King Cup in intense penalty shootout and dramatic final    Crown Prince awards King's Cup to Al Hilal    Yassine Bounou named Man of the Match after leading Al Hilal to King's Cup victory    Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale concludes with massive attendance    Man opens ice cream shop in seaside telephone box    Nepali climber sets record for fastest ascent of Mount Everest by a woman    World's rarest album to go on display in Australia    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Middle East's ‘digital adults' focus on cost for smartphone purchases
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 06 - 2015

JEDDAH — Phone buyers in the Middle East and Africa are increasingly turning to the affordable end of the smartphone market, as a growing “digital adult' customer base focuses on buying devices that feature the technology they actually want to use, rather than the latest branded handset.

While overall smartphone sales climbed 83 percent in the region last year, according to market watcher International Data Corporation (IDC), the proportion of devices priced under $100 rocketed from just 5 percent in 2013, to one in five, or 20 percent, of all smartphones sold in 2014.

“We are seeing a clear shift in the smartphone market toward the affordable segment, as customers are deciding high-end devices may not be best suited to their needs,” said Nitin Sood, Managing Director, Fly MEA, a top European mobile maker that entered the regional market last year. “Driving this market is the emergence of the digital adult – users who are tech-savvy, want to get the most out of their smartphones and are looking for the best specifications, but are brand agnostic about the devices they choose.”

Phone buyers in the digital adult segment are likely to be aged between 21 and 45, university students or professionals, require high data usage to incorporate social media trends and online activities, and, crucially, are likely to be early adopters of technology, Sood said.

“Digital adults embrace technology and want to get the most out of their smartphones – be that the fastest processor speeds, the most memory or the best display quality – at competitive prices,” Sood said. “They're not afraid to try out new models and technologies, and are likely to be very influential on blogs and social media – so they are a very important testing ground for new products.”

The digital adults' eagerness to embrace new technology is pushing the region's smartphone market toward shorter product lifecycles and to adapt new solutions, notably the LTE networking standard, which is fast gaining ground in the region, and 4G technology. Middle East LTE subscriptions jumped 174 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014, according to researcher Ovum, as more operators add LTE networks.

“There's a sharp transition in the region from 3G to 4G devices – more than 60 percent of the new phones being launched will be LTE-enabled now, and all phones selling above $100 will be LTE/4G devices,” said Abdul Jabbar Shahnawaz, Vice President, Marketing, Fly MEA. “LTE allows users to stream video at much faster speeds on their smartphones, with faster connections and downloads, making it essential video, downloading and online gaming.
This is also having a knock-on effect for screen sizes, with the market increasingly shifting toward five-inch or bigger screens.”

Fly's branded offerings have proved hugely successful across all market segments it has entered, from the entry-level market to the premium segment where it launched the Fly Blade IQ4516 – the slimmest phone to go on sale in the region last year.

Fly MEA is targeting six-fold growth in 2015 as the company looks to expand its presence in the lucrative GCC and Africa markets. Having enjoyed phenomenal success in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fly is further expanding its presence in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, along with Dubai-based partner Eurostar Group.

After its success in Nigeria – Africa's most populous nation – Fly is also looking to expand into Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique and other countries on the continent as well as Egypt in North Africa. — SG


Clic here to read the story from its source.