LG Electronics has upped its forecast for the world handset market thisyear, but has kept its own shipment estimate unchanged, stating that the additional global growth will come from low-end phones. The number four maker of mobile phones said that the industry is planning to ship up to 900 million handsets in 2006 compared with its earlier estimate of 820-860 million units. The new forecast comes a week after market leader Nokia raised the estimate of volume growth in the global mobile device market to 15 per cent or more. LG kept its own 2006 shipment forecast unchanged at 70 million mobile phones this year, which would be 27 per cent higher than the 55 million it sold in 2005.
