Foreign brands continue to dominate the Chinese mobile phone market with a market share of more than 70 percent in the first half of 2007, according to the latest report by CCID Consulting.

The report said that in the first half of this year China produced 248 million mobile phones. Foreign brands occupied the first four places, with Nokia enjoying a market share of 30.9 percent, followed by Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson with 22.5 percent, 9.6 percent and 7.7 percent respectively.

The ZTE, Huawei and Bird are the top three domestic brands, with market shares of 4.8 percent, 3.2 percent and 2.3 percent respectively, the report said.

CCID predicted that China's output of mobile phones will exceed 500 million this year and that the development of 3G, double module and customized mobile phones will offer great opportunities to mobile phone manufacturers.

China's mobile communications market has been growing rapidly in recent years. The latest statistics show that the number of subscribers to mobile communications had hit 480 million by the end of the first quarter, and is expected to exceed 500 million by the end of the year.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)