Europe's mobile operators sell fewer phones but gain share as budget market shrivels

European mobile operators are gaining a slightly larger share of smartphone sales, not because they are selling more devices, but because other sales channels are shrinking faster. This is according to market watcher Counterpoint Research, which says that sales of new smartphones through European operators were down by 4 percent during the second quarter of this year, compared with the same period a year ago. But device sales through the open market fared much worse, declining by 11 percent. This refers to phones that are bought outright from independent retailers or directly from manufacturers, which are typically SIM-free and unlocked so the customer can choose which network they hook up to. Operators accounted for 36 percent of European smartphone sales in the second quarter, up from 35 percent a year earlier. The open market still represented the majority. …