Strategy Analytics’ Germany Handset Vendor Marketshare by Operator: Q1 2012 report reveals German handset shipments increased by 10% annually, up from a -1% decline the previous quarter. Germany remains the strongest European economy and, while there remain concerns about the extent to which the German tax-payer will have to take-on the debt of poorer Eurozone countries, its fundamentals are sound.

Nokia will be disappointed to have experienced a major decline in shipments in one of its strongest markets, especially after such a strong previous quarter, with sales of the Lumia family of smartphones tailing off after a promising start. Meanwhile Samsung and Apple both significantly increased their market shares YoY, confirming that weak performance in the smartphone market is behind Nokia’s German decline.