The global cellular baseband processor market registered a strong 27% on-year increase to reach US$5.8 billion in the first quarter of 2015, according to Strategy Analytics.

The market was led by Qualcomm, which grabbed a 61% share, followed by MediaTek with a 18% share and Spreadtrum with 7%, said Strategy Analytics. Samsung and Marvell rounded out the top-five cellular baseband processor suppliers.

"The wait for the strong number two player in the LTE baseband market is over and MediaTek has now firmly established itself as the solid number two to Qualcomm," said Sravan Kundojjala, associate director for Strategy Analytics.

MediaTek captured a double-digit LTE unit share in the first quarter of 2015, helped by strong momentum for its LTE-integrated applications processors in China, Kundojjala continued. "We predict MediaTek will maintain its LTE momentum in the next few quarters."

Meanwhile, Samsung's system LSI unit beat out Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 in the Galaxy S6 series and moved up to number three in LTE baseband shipments, Strategy Analytics noted. Qualcomm's LTE unit share slid to 68% in the first quarter of 2015, as a result of increased competition and the loss of orders for the Galaxy S6, Strategy Analytics said.

In the 3G baseband market, Spreadtrum overtook overtook MediaTek to capture the number two spot in the first quarter of 2015, partly helped by market leaders Qualcomm and MediaTek's shift in focus from 3G to 4G, Strategy Analytics said. The research firm expects Spreadtrum to continue to gain share in 3G basebands.