Reuters reported today that the mobile phone industry saw global handset sales rise to record levels in the April-June quarter of this year, putting the industry on track to ship 650 million cell phones worldwide in 2004.

　　Quoting Gartner analyst Ben Wood, Reuters reported that market leader Nokia had stemmed the tide of lagging and declining sales that affected it in the first quarter. Still, industry analysts are not confident in the future of the brand, citing a lack of attractive higher-end models. Nokia's market share was 29.7 percent, said Gartner, up slightly from the 28.9 percent in the preceding quarter but below the 35 percent share Nokia had a year ago.

　　Rival handset makers who will benefit from Nokia's overall decline in market share include Motorola, Samsung, LG Electronics, and Sony Ericsson. Germany-based Siemens' share suffered due to a recent recall that affected its 65 series of phones. It was the only major handset maker to lose market share.

　　As far as specific markets, Reuters called Latin America the region to watch. According to Gartner, Latin American sales of handsets are up 20 percent from the first quarter as consumers jumped on to the mobile bandwagon for the first time. Sales in North America and Europe are being driven by consumers who trade up to phones with color displays and built-in cameras.