Sales of phones using Symbian OS soar
- — 22 August, 2003 09:22
Shipments of handheld devices running Symbian's operating system software totalled 2.68 million in the first half of 2003, compared to 230,000 in the first half of last year, the company announced Thursday.
Royalty revenue for the software, used in mobile phones such as Nokia's 7650 and 3650 and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' P800, totalled £10.5 million (US$17 million) in the first half of 2003, up from £1.5 million a year earlier, while Symbian's total revenue grew to £21.2 million, up from £9.5 million a year earlier.
Ten phones using the Symbian OS, made by three software licensees, are already shipping, the company said, while 26 more are under development by nine licensees, including BenQ, Samsung Electronics and Siemens, it said. Many of these phones are expected to ship during the next 18 months, it said.
