MUMBAI: The Indian mobile handset market witnessed a growth of six per cent in  the first quarter of 2012 while the global worldwide sales dipped by two percent,  according to technology research firm Gartner.

The smartphone market in India grew by 17 per cent, although feature phones still  dominate the Indian handset industry. According to the report, this is the first time since 2009 that there has been a decline in sales of mobile phones globally.

Mobile sales in India are estimated to hit 231 million units this year which accounts for 8.5 per cent annual growth, as compared to the 213 million units sale in 2011.  The report also highlights that the mobile companies have increased the price of the devices by 3-5 percent in last quarter.

Gartner principal research analyst Anshul Gupta said, “There is a huge amount of growth that is still to come in as far as smartphones go. From six per cent of the overall market, smartphones have inched up by a percentage point in a year which  leaves a lot of room for growth.”