5 Top Trends in Latin Americas Mobile Market

BY JAVIER MONTANARO@US MEDIA CONSULTING ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

As Latin Americas use of mobile devices has surged, a number of different trends have emerged. Below we identify 5 key ones to help marketers and media professionals refine their mobile campaigns and obtain optimal results.

(#1) Four Latam countries are among the fastest-growing Android and iOS markets
According to Flurry, a mobile application analytics firm, a number of Latin American countries are among the fastest-growing iOS and Android markets in terms of active devices. While China is #1 with 401% growth in terms of adoption, Chile is second with 279% growth in terms of smart devices, followed by Brazil (220%), Argentina (217%), and Mexico (193%).

(#2) Latin American smartphone sales to hit 145 million

This is the projection from Pyramid Research for 2017and it will be a fourfold increase compared to 2011. Heres a look at recent numbers in smartphone sales for major Latam markets: Smartphone sales grew by 106% in Argentina between the first 6 months of 2011 and the first 6 months of 2012 Smartphone sales went up 26% in Mexico in the first quarter of 2012 Smartphone sales are expected to grow by 73% in Brazil in 2012 In July 2012, 25% of the cell phones sold in Colombia were smartphones

(#3) By 2013, tablet sales to hit $3.7 billion in Latin America

Figures from research firm Euromonitor indicate that retail value sales of tablets in Latin America will reach US$1.2 billion in 2012 and triple to $3.7 billion by next year. The firm projects that Brazil will be responsible for the majority of 2013 sales of tablets, reaching US$1.7 billion. Heres a look at specific tablet sales figures for key Latam markets. Tablet sales went up 69% in Argentina during the first half of 2012 to reach 91,000 units IDC forecasts that tablet sales will reach 1.5 million in Mexico in 2012, more than double the 700,000 tablets sold in Mexico in 2011 More than 370,000 tablets were sold in Brazil in the first quarter of 2012 IDC projects that more than 2 million tablets will be sold in Brazil this year.

(#4) Most Latin American countries have more mobile lines than people
According to data shared by the International Union of Telecommunications during La Cumbre Conectar las Amricas, 20 of the 33 countries in Latin America have more mobile subscriptions than people, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.

(#5) iOS dominates Latam mobile marketexcept in Argentina

According to comScores March 2012 Device Essentials report, devices using the iOS operating system account for most of the mobile traffic in major Latin American markets. Argentina is the one exception. Heres how the mobile traffic percentages break down by country: Argentina: 31% of mobile traffic iOS, 44.5% of mobile traffic Android Brazil: 58% iOS, 23.7% Android Chile: 54.9% iOS, 33.4% Android Mexico: 59.3% iOS, 22.8% Android

The December 2011 Device Essentials report from comScore showed a similar dominance of iOS in Latin Americaexcept in Argentina: Argentina: 27.5% iOS, 33% Android Brazil: 60% iOS, 19.6% Android Chile: 60% iOS, 24% Android Colombia: 64.3% iOS, 11.9% Android Costa Rica, 51.9% iOS, 11.9% Android Ecuador: 58% iOS, 14% Android Mexico: 60% iOS, 15.8% Android Peru: 48.1% iOS, 30.3% Android Puerto Rico: 63.7% IOS, 28.4% Android Venezuela, 47% IOS, 15.5% Android