China's smartphone shipments to exceed 450 million in 2014: IDC

The world's biggest smartphone market, China, will likely ship in more than 450 million devices in 2014, at least a quarter more than this year, research firm IDC said. IDC said the increase will be driven by the government's issuance of 4G licenses and expectations that China Mobile, the world's biggest wireless operator, would carry iPhones. China, a market dominated by Samsung Electronics and Lenovo Group, is expected to ship 120 million 4G-enabled smartphones to meet consumer demand for Internet connectivity. Smartphone shipments are expected to reach 360 million this year, IDC said.