Samsung Claims Android Has Topped 30% of Indonesia's Smartphone Marketshare

Indonesia's Android marketshare has been growing very fast within this year. Moreover, it's now available with affordable prices and ranges from mid-to-low, all in quite abundant features. Some may wondering about the number counts for Android penetration. Head of Samsung Mobile Phone Marketing Department, Samsung Indonesia, Alven Desnecmen, claimed Android marketshare has been fivefold from the beginning to year, to reach 29% of total smartphon ownership by October 2011.

As cited from Tempo [ID], Desnecmen didn't want to inform the details on Samsung. Yet, he confirmed that they are on top of the list in smartphone industry. By flooding the market with $100-$200 smartphone (non-contract), I think it's an realistic claim. Not only for GSM, Samsung provides CDMA-based Android phone in collaboration with Bakrie Telecom and Smartfren. If I predict correctly,  the next position will be held by S-Nexian then followed by Sony Ericsson. HTC, Motorola, and LG currently aren't considered to have strong consumer base in smartphone realm in Indonesia.

The calculation mentioned by Samsung representatives actually has quite different margin with the report published by Nielsen. According to Nielsen, which is covered by Vivanews, smartphone market in Indonesia is still currently dominated by Nokia (Symbian), then accompanied by BlackBerry and Samsung. As if Samsung, S-Nexian, Sony Ericsson and some other Android vendors' marketshare are combined, if we still rely on Nielsen's number then it would never attained 29%.

But we have to admit that the penetration growth of Android in Indonesia in 2011 has been marvelous. Nielsen itself predicts that in 2012 there will be  67% smartphone users in Indonesia, compared to total phone population — in other words, there will be more people join forces in using smartphone and leaving feature phones in the dust because of their limitations.