Smartphones will account for over a quarter of all mobiles sales in 2011, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.

The research firm predicts that more than 342m smartphones (27% of all mobiles) will be sold next year due to manufacturers drastically reducing their price and the rising popularity of devices using Google’s Android operating system.

Mark Newman, chief research officer at Informa, said, “Handset vendors have moved quickly to embrace the emergence of a mass market for smartphones.”

Informa also predicted that mobile operators will have to form strategic relationships with internet brands, such as Google and Facebook, to prevent being sidelined in the mobile internet business.

“Looking forward to 2011, we’ve identified the mobile internet as a mass market and the importance of strategic partnerships with internet players,” said Newman.