Several hundred million smartphones will flow through "closed" operator channels worldwide during 2018. Some regions are dominated by operator-led channels, while others are dominated by retailer channels. Notably, pure e-retails are surging in China and India over the past few years. Meanwhile, independent retailers still make up a big chuck of total smartphone sales in many emerging markets. This report forecasts global smartphone distribution flows by 8 channels for 6 major regions and 3 key countries from 2012 to 2023, including North America, Western Europe, Latin America, China, Japan and India. The forecasts can be used by smartphone vendors, vehicle makers, apps developers and others to identify the main regional channels where mobile phones are being sold, and whether operators or retailers are winning the distribution wars.