Taiwan handset shipments to decline over 20% in 2009, says Digitimes Research

Total handsets shipped by Taiwan makers are expected to top 84.2 million units in 2009, a decline of 21.1% from a year earlier, according to recent estimates by Digitimes Research.

The global slowdown and a weakness in the replacement market mean that global handset shipments are expected to dip 5-10% in 2009, although shipments of smartphones are likely to maintain their momentum, Digitimes Research indicated.