Aside from making great strides in the US market, Samsung has likewise clinched the top spot in Canada as far as wireless product sales for the third quarter of 2008 are concerned.

This is according to a report released by IDC Canada. In the said quarter alone, nearly 3 million mobile phone were shipped and a commanding 27.8% of that amount were from Samsung. With Samsung flooding the market with a variety of full-featured stylish phone models that cater to almost every segment of the market, I have no doubt that they’ll continue to reign supreme in the coming months.

An interesting statistic to note is that compared to the same time last year, the total number of mobile units shipped increased by 30.5%. I guess the crop of technologically advanced phones of today may have something to do with the improved sales, but I wonder, with the economic crisis slowly being felt all over the world, how will mobile phone sales fare next year?

Samsung leads Canada's wireless wars
Innovative wireless devices and marketing campaigns propel Samsung to No. 1 market share

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 3 /CNW/ - While those tracking Canada's wireless industry often focus on the national carriers, the manufacturers of handsets and wireless devices have been battling for top market share. According to a recent IDC Canada's Quarterly Mobile Device Tracker, Samsung Electronics Canada owned the top spot in Q3 CY08 wireless product (mobile phones and Smartphones) sales.

According to the IDC Canada report, Samsung Electronics Canada's Wireless Terminals Division led the national total mobile phones vendor category for the third quarter with a 27.8 per cent market share; an eight per cent increase over last year(1).

Similar to its wireless device success in the US, where Samsung also leads in market share, the company's success in Canada can be attributed to its diverse product line-up including innovative and stylish handset designs.

"Canadians have long recognized Samsung handsets for quality, ranking them very high in terms of reliability," said Paul Brannen, General Manager, Wireless Terminal Division, Samsung Electronics Canada. "Over the past several months, we have introduced a variety of devices that combine great style and function. We're dedicated to providing Canadians with innovative products and expect to continue to build upon our success in this market space."

According to the IDC study, nearly 3,000,000 mobile units were shipped during the third quarter of 2008, representing an increase of 30.5% over the same period in 2007.

"Canadian consumers and businesses alike continue to buy new, innovative mobile phones and smartphones that reflect their individual style and personality, helping them stay connected, with family and friends while also becoming more effective professionals as part of their workday," says Marc Perrella, VP Technology Group, IDC Canada.

The previous six months have proven to be very successful for Samsung with the release of several innovative wireless phones and campaigns including:

- Samsung INSTINCT (August 2008, Bell and Telus)
- A modern and sleek touch-screen device
- Enabled with turn-by-turn GPS, HTML web browsing capabilities and enhanced multimedia features
- The launch of the Samsung INSTICT included a first-of-its-kind viral chose-your-own-adventure YouTube video

- Upgraded Samsung JACK (October 2008, Rogers)
- Samsung's ultimate smartphone was just recently re-launched with an upgraded Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system
- Now available in a merlot-coloured casing

- Samsung CLEO (November 2008, Bell and Solo)
- Samsung's fashionista phone and winter's hottest text-messaging accessory
- Make-up compact-shaped handset features a full QWERTY keypad
- Hit the runway at Toronto's greenest fashion event - Fashion Takes Action

- Samsung SLYDE (November 2008, Telus)
- Samsung's latest handset specifically created for those who prefer to communicate through their fingertips
- The SLYDE is packed with must-have features, including a 2.0 Megapixel camera and video recorder, built in MP3 player, expandable memory up to 8GB