Narrative: Operator Channel To Lose Share of Smartphone Distribution Flow Globally

Global smartphone distribution forecast to 2030 by channel and region, tracking online growth, operator decline, and retailer shifts worldwide.

Online channel penetration is expected to grow by roughly 2% from 2025 to 2030, driven by the digitisation trend. Meanwhile, operator channel is expected to lose share to retailer/distributors due to the greater mix of emerging markets which are not operator driven. Independent retailers are expected to decline. This report forecasts global smartphone distribution flows by operators channel vs. retailer channel; by online channel vs. offline channel, for 6 regions and 30 countries from 2007 through 2030. It also forecasts global smartphone distribution by 8 sub-channels for 6 major regions and 3 key countries from 2012 to 2030, including North America, Western Europe, Latin America, China, Japan and India.