Mobile phone shipments fell 13% in first quarter

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Global mobile-phone shipments fell 13% to 245 million in the first quarter, telecoms consultancy Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. It was the fastest rate of decline in shipments since records began in 1983. All top five vendors sold fewer phones but among them Samsung performed best, with shipments down just 1%. Nokia's shipments fell by 19% from the year-earlier period.