Demand for palladium is expected to be boosted as growth in the mobile phone market continues unabated.

According to the GSM Association, growth in the demand for mobiles, which use palladium in multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), is expected to be driven by demand in the west as well as in developing countries, which now account for 64 per cent of mobile users.

Currently, there are some 2.5 billion GSM accounts worldwide, statistics from the GSM Association show, while in China alone there are now 445 million GSM customers.

The period of growth has exceeded the organisation's expectations as mobiles have gone from being "the preserve of the well off" to an "everyday gadget that's essential to people's lives," said Robert Conway, head of the GSM Association.

Moreover, trends in technology, such as the growing use of high-speed networks, suggest that the mobile phone will become even more ubiquitous in future, he added.

He told BBC Online: "You'll pull [mobile phones] out of your pocket and they'll look like a map but unfold like a screen.


"We're now on the verge of another wave and that's going to be stimulated by mobile broadband."

Research from Johnson Matthey indicates that demand for palladium from the electronics industry rose by eight per cent in 2006 to 2.14 million ounces.

Source:

Mobile phone technology turns 20, 10/09/07
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6983869.stm  

Global Mobile Communication is 20 years old
http://www.gsmworld.com/index.shtml



Ÿ Adfero Ltd