Motorola's phone business recovered in the most recent quarter, according to shipment estimates by IDC. Nokia held onto to its dominant position with 35 per cent global share. Although Nokia's shipments were up 11.1 per cent over the preceding quarter, its share of the booming global handset market fell slightly. Shipping 45.5 million units in the quarter, Nokia has more than twice the volume of second placed Motorola.

But Motorola has succeeded in reversing its recent declines, and with 15.5 per cent share, and volumes up 27.8 per cent, it is putting some distance between itself and third placed Samsung. Siemens snagged fourth with 15 million shipped (8.7 per cent share) and LG pushed Sony Ericsson out of the top five, moving 7.8 million units.

The mobile phone handset market grew 14 per cent in the quarter. IDC notes that the major vendors regained their share from smaller Asian rivals, but wonders how long they can keep it up. Contract manufacturers are eyeing opportunities to design the whole package, and undercut the Tier 1 and 2 vendors. But IDC's latest figures suggest that branding still matters. ®