Juniper Research has released its report, Next Generation Smartphones – Strategic Opportunities & Markets 2010-2015.

The study forecasts that challengers from the consumer electronics market will achieve global sales of Smartphones exceeding 26m units by 2015. In addition, Asia will assert greater influence in the production of Smartphone devices. Both of these developments will be fuelled by two factors: the availability of the Android operating system; and the commoditised nature of several elements of the handset supply chain.

Another factor is that any manufacturer with consumer electronics expertise can add mobility to their devices by incorporating an Android operating system into a smartphone and many are doing so, partly due to the tight margins in the PC industry.

The report reveals that at least 10 players are planning to launch both smartphone and tablet PCs this year, but says it remains to be seen how they will fare. Although barriers to entry may have come down, competition is fiercer than ever, with the consumer likely to benefit most through lower prices and enhanced functionality.

The report also finds that smartphone functionality will increasingly filter down to mid-tier handsets, and that the combination of the smartphone and the app store will result in substantial increases in data usage over the smartphone device. 3D functionality and dual core processors are among several technical developments which will come to light over the next five years.

The report examines the strategies of selected smartphone handset manufacturers, as well the challenges and threats that they face. The report also offers a paired comparison analysis, assessing the strength of various handset players, according to several criteria, including content strategy, design, and technical innovation. It also offers an extensive forecasting suite covering new technologies, such as 3D phones and NFC phones.

There’s more information about the report here.