Samsung sees higher global handset sales in 2006

Cheju (South Korea), Aug 31: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. sees global mobile phone sales growing faster than expected this year, while its own handset sales will just meet the target, its president for handset business said on Thursday.

''At first we expected some 900 million in sales this year, now it looks like 950 million,'' Lee Ki-tae, president of Samsung's telecommunication networks business, told a news conference held on the sidelines of Samsung 4G Forum.

Samsung last forecast in July 910 million unit sales in the global handset market.

Lee said Samsung expected to meet its own mobile phone sales target of 115 million this year ''without problem'' but admitted market share had become an issue in the handset business.

Samsung, trailing Nokia and Motorola Inc. in the handset market, saw its mobile phone sales fall in April-June from the previous quarter as Motorola enjoyed booming sales of its blockbuster RAZR.

Reuters