Sale of mobile phones in Brazil should grow 1.6% in 2017, says IDC

SÃO PAULO-sales of cell phones in Brazil must advance 1,6% in 2017, to 49,200,000 units, estimated on Friday the market research firm IDC, evaluating that the year will be marked by equipment replacement.
"After two straight years of decline, this result is very satisfactory. We can say that the worst for the Smartphone market has passed, "said in a statement to the press, Leonardo Munin, research analyst of IDC''s cellular market to Latin America.
"Today, we have approximately 153 million sets in use in Brazil, being 121 million smartphones, i.e. 21% of the population must still migrate from a regular phone to a smart device," said Munin, adding that the number of older smartphones that 121 million base "is high, which will boost the renovations".
In 2016, sales of cell phones in Brazil totaled 48,400,000 devices, fall of 5,2%. Despite the fall, the country kept the fourth position among the countries with higher sales of mobile phones in the world, according to IDC. Of the total number of appliances marketed in 2016, 43,500,000 were smartphones (7,3% drop on a year earlier) and 4,900,000 of basic models (growth of 18.5 percent).
According to IDC, the average price of the equipment sold went from 882 dollars in 2015 to 1,050 in 2016.