Driven by booming sales of low-end models, shipments of smartphones will rise to account for more than half of the worldwide cellphone market in 2015, according to data released by IHS Isuppli.

Global smartphone unit shipments will soar to 1.03 billion units in 2015, more than double the 478 million in 2011. This will cause smartphones' share of global cellphone shipments to increase to 54.4% in 2015, up from 32.5% in 2011.This rise to dominance is all the more remarkable considering that smartphones accounted for only 15.8% of the total cellphone market in 2009.

Within the smartphone market, the fastest-growing category will be low-end models, defined as devices with limited features and lower memory densities relative to higher-end products. Shipments of low-end smartphones are expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 115.4% during the period from 2010 through 2015, compared to just 16.4 % for mid-range to high-end smartphones.

"With their affordable prices, low-end smartphones are attractive to first-time users and to consumers in emerging economies where subscriber levels are rising at the fastest rates of all regions of the world, such as China, India, South Asia and Africa," said Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst, wireless communications for IHS.