Samsung mobile phones

In Q1 2008 Samsung shipped 46.3 million mobile handsets 1Q 2008.Sales of Samsung Telecommunications were 6.65 trillion KRW for the same quarter and it represents 32% sales of Samsung Electronics.
The growth is mostly explained by continuous growth of emerging markets while there is weak demand in developed markets. During 2007 amount of shipped units was growing constantly: 1Q 2007 – 34.8, 2Q 2007 – 37.4, 3Q 2007- 42.6, 4Q 2007 – 46.3. In 2007 profit was 23,8 trillion KRW, while net profit reached level of 2.7 trillion KRW.
In 1977 Samsung Electronics launched the Telecommunication Network business, and in 1983 it initiated its mobile telecommunications business with the hope that this would become the company’s future growth engine. In 1986, Samsung was able to release its first built-in car phone, the SC-100, but it was a failure due to the poor quality. In spite of unsuccessful result Ki Tae Lee, the then-head of the Wireless Development Team, decided to stay in the mobile business. He asked the company to buy ten Motorola mobile phones for benchmarking.
After 2 years of R&D Samsung developed its first mobile phone (or “hand phone” in Korea), the SH-100 in 1988. It was the first mobile phone to be designed and manufactured in Korea. But the perception of mobile devices was very low and although Samsung introduced new models every year, each model sold only one or two thousand units.Samsung Telecommunications is one of five business units within Samsung Electronics, belonging to the Samsung Group, and consists of the Mobile Communications Division, Telecommunication Systems Division, Computer Division, MP3 Business Team, Mobile Solution Centre and Telecommunication R&D Centre.
Telecommunication Business produces a full spectrum of products from mobiles and other mobile devices such as MP3 players and laptop computers to telecommunication network infrastructure. Headquarters is located in Suwon, South Korea.In 2007 Samsung Telecommunication Business reported over 40% growth and became the second largest mobile device manufacturer in the world.Its market share was 14% in Q4 2007, growing up form 11.3% in Q4 2006.
In Q1 2008 Samsung strengthened its second position on the market and achieved 15.6% world handset market share.

Most importantly, Samsung Electronics (SEC) has since come to dominate the group and the worldwide semiconductor business, even surpassing worldwide leader Intel in investments for the 2005 fiscal year.
Samsung’s brand strength has greatly improved in the last few years.Samsung became the largest producer of memory chips in the world in 1992, and is the world’s second-largest chipmaker after Intel (see Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Market Share Ranking Year by Year).[16] From 1999 to 2002, Samsung conspired with Hynix Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, Elpida Memory (Hitachi and NEC) and Micron Technology to fix the prices of DRAM chips sold to American computer makers.
In 2005 Samsung agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $300 million fine, the second-largest criminal antitrust fine in the US history.In 1995, it built its first liquid-crystal display screen. Ten years later, Samsung grew to be the world’s largest manufacturer of liquid-crystal display panels. Sony, which had not invested in large-size TFT-LCDs, contacted Samsung to cooperate. In 2006, S-LCD was established as a joint venture between Samsung and Sony in order to provide a stable supply of LCD panels for both manufacturers. S-LCD is owned by Samsung (50% plus 1 share) and Sony (50% minus 1 share) and operates its factories and facilities in Tangjung, South Korea.
Considered a strong competitor by its rivals, Samsung Electronics expanded production dramatically to become the world’s largest manufacturer of DRAM chips, flash memory, optical storage drives and it aims to double sales and become the top manufacturer of 20 products globally by 2010. It is now the world’s leading manufacturer of liquid crystal displays.Samsung Electronics, which saw record profits and revenue in 2004 and 2005, overtook Sony as one of the world’s most popular consumer electronics brands, and is now ranked #19 in the world overall.
Behind Nokia, Samsung is the world’s second largest by volume producer of cell phones with a leading market share in the North America and Western Europe.In December 29, 2009, Samsung sues Mike Breen, and the Korea Times, for $1 Million, claiming criminal defamation over a satirical column published on Christmas Day 2009.In May 2010 the EU antitrust watchdog levied a 145.73 million euro fine against Samsung for illegally fixing prices with 8 other memory chip makers.

Currently helmed by Lee Soo-bin, once the CEO of Samsung Life Insurance, it has been run by generations of one of the world’s wealthiest families, formerly by chairman Lee Kun-Hee, the third son of the founder, Lee Byung-Chull.Many major South Korean corporations such as CJ Corporation, Hansol Group, Shinsegae Group and Joong-Ang Ilbo daily newspaper were previously part of the Samsung Group. Though they are still controlled by ex-Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s relatives, they are no longer officially Samsung affiliates. Some leading companies in South Korea, notably MP3 player manufacturer iriver and search engine portal Naver, were established by ex-Samsung employees.
A large number of South Korean firms, particularly those in the electronics industry, are dependent on Samsung for the supply of vital components or raw materials such as semiconductor chips or LCD panels. This has led to continued allegations of price fixing and monopolistic practices. Samsung Group also owns the Sungkyunkwan University, a major private university in South Korea.Samsung Group accounts for more than 20% of South Korea’s total exports and in many domestic industries, Samsung Group is the sole monopoly dominating a single market, its revenue as large as some countries’ total GDP.
In 2006, Samsung Group would have been the 35th largest economy in the world if ranked, larger than that of Argentina.The company has a powerful influence on the country’s economic development, politics, media and culture, being a major driving force behind the Miracle on the Han River; many businesses today use its international success as a role model.The Samsung Group (Korean: 삼성 그룹) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It is the world’s largest conglomerate by revenue with an annual revenue of US $173.4 billion in 2008 and is South Korea’s largest chaebol. The meaning of the Korean hanja word Samsung (三星) is “tristar” or “three stars”.
The Samsung Group is composed of numerous international affiliated businesses, most of them united under the Samsung brand including Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest electronics company,Samsung Heavy Industries, the world’s second largest shipbuilder and Samsung C&T, a major global construction company and Samsung Life Insurance, the largest insurance company in Korea.
Samsung has been the world’s most popular consumer electronics brand since 2005 and is the best known South Korean brand in the world. Samsung Group accounts for more than 20% of South Korea’s total exports and is the leader in many domestic industries, such as the financial, chemical, retail and entertainment industries. The company’s strong influence in South Korea is visible throughout the nation, which has been referred to as the “Republic of Samsung”