By Elle Cayabyab
Wow. A study of consumers in 12 countries predicts that sales of cell phones will exceed 1 billion handsets each year in 2009, becoming the most common consumer electronics device in the world. An estimated 2.6 billion people will own one by then, according to the Gartner Group, who conducted the study, and handset manufacturers will reap the profits, with vendors such as Nokia and Samsung generating combined revenues of US$1.7 billion in 2009. The Asia Pacific region is seen as becoming even more important, with one out of every three mobile phones sold in the area in 2009, up from one in four this year. The growth in cell phone sales can be attributed to developing nations eschewing traditional land-line telephone service in favor of cell networks, which are much cheaper to implement.
Read the rest of the article at arstechnica.com.