Number of Smartphones Worldwide Exceeded 180 Million Units in 2009

CONNECTIONS(TM) Europe to Discuss New Roles for Mobile Application Integrators, Solution Enablers, and Payment Technology Providers


DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - April 13, 2010) -  New research from Parks Associates, host of the upcoming executive summit CONNECTIONS™ Europe, indicates that the number of smartphones shipped in 2009 topped 180 million units worldwide, with Nokia, Research in Motion, and Apple sharing 60% of the market. Annual sales will reach almost 400 million by 2014, and as the number of users approaches one billion, consumer demand will grow for mobile broadband services that can share content, particularly high-quality video, across connected devices and the home network.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe, April 27 at the Mövenpick Hotel in Amsterdam, will feature consumer research and analysis on these new service opportunities in the mobile sector in the session "Mobile Video: The Cloud, The App Store & the Connected Home."

"Applications will have to diversify with the growing population of users, creating huge opportunities for mobile application integrators, solution enablers, and payment technology providers," said Kurt Scherf, session moderator and VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates.

Session speakers:

Klaus Milczewsky, Senior Manager, Deutsche Telekom AG
Peter Percosan, CTO, Cable Europe Labs
Andy Tiller, Marketing Vice Chair, Femto Forum

In a recent Parks Associates survey on mobile convergence, over one-third of U.S. smartphone users expressed an interest in streaming multimedia content stored on home CE to their mobile device. Service providers will have to adapt their mobile and video strategies to meet the demands of multiple platforms, and the panelists will discuss these challenges, plus the impact of new devices such as the iPad and the HP Slate.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Advisory Sponsors are Accedo Broadband, ActiveVideo Networks, Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB), Intamac, Latens, and PacketVideo. Companies in the Premier Program include ActiveVideo Networks, PacketVideo, RedMere, and Rovi. CONNECTIONS™ U.S. Sponsors also include Allegro, Cisco, IBM, Intel, iTOK, and Roxio.

Visit http://www.connectionseurope.com for more information.

About CONNECTIONS™ Europe

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summits, produced by Parks Associates, are executive events offering high-level analysis and consumer research, networking opportunities, and information on emerging residential and mobile technologies and services.

The next CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit will take place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2010, and focus on digital media, consumer electronics, and market opportunities for TV operators, content developers, advertisers, and manufacturers. http://www.connectionseurope.com

Contact Information:

Contact: Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein
Parks Associates
972-490-1113
Email: mindi.sue@parksassociates.com