Samsung`s E250 handset shipments to Middle East top 10 mln units

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that sales of one of its popular mid-priced handset models in the Middle East and Africa recently surpassed the 10-million-unit mark.

Combined sales of the SGH-E250 model reached the landmark figure in the above
regions as of Tuesday (Korean time), less than two years since the popular model
was first introduced in the United Arab Emirates in December 2006.
The device, which shipped over 30.1 million units world wide, has proven to be
Samsung's best selling model so far. The small-sized unit comes with
comprehensive functionalities, such as an MP3 music player, external memory slots
and radio receivers.
Samsung's mobile phone market share in the region, which stood around 15 percent
in 2006, has enjoyed a rapid increase in recent years, reaching 28.6 percent last
year and 21.3 percent as of end of August.
The combined Middle Eastern and African mobile phone market is expected to expand
at a fast pace, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. Shipments,
which stood at around 52 million units in 2004, are expected to reach over 150
million units by the end of the year, according to the agency.