A dual-SIM smartphone in your hand beats two in the bush

Smartphones packing two SIM slots are set to grab a third of the overall smartphone market, according to Strategy Analytics.

Dual-SIM phones are already big business, the firm reckons, with about 431 million of the devices to ship this year. Come 2016, the firm says, expect 19 per cent growth to take the dual-SIM total to reach 514 million, or about one in three of all smartphones.

Why the growth? Dual-SIM phones are big in China and India, where having more than one SIM often makes sense due to spotty coverage across different districts. India has eleven large mobile carriers and lots of regional players. Not all of the national or regional carriers have national coverage, but many charge roaming fees outside the parts of India they cover. Two SIMs can therefore give Indians a cost-saving option, while a dual-SIM phone is less of a hassle to own than two handsets.

Strategy Analytics also reckons dual-SIM phones makes BYOD easier.

Just about all handset-makers are wise to the dual-SIM market but Strategy Analytics points out Apple isn't a player. The phruity phonies of Cupertino are doing alright with the iPhone 4 in India, where prices recently fell to around US$200. If Apple can get away charging that for a years-old model, it can probably get away with one SIM for the foreseeable future. ®