The world's information and technology (IT) sector is expected to continue enjoying a business boom until 2009 on the back of brisk sales of digital TVs and NAND flash memory chips. In its report on the IT business prospects for 2006, Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) said that the global IT business has been on a recovery track since it bottomed out in the second quarter of 2005. The IT business will continue to recover well into this year thanks to sales of digital TVs and NAND flash memory chips, the institute affiliated with the nation's largest Samsung Group said. The market for NAND flash memory, mainly used in digital cameras and MP3 players, is forecast to grow 15-30 percent this year from a year ago, despite a cut in chip prices. The research center also painted a bright outlook for the digital TV market, saying that international sporting events as the Turin Winter Olympics in February and this summer's World Cup soccer finals in Germany will translate into increased demand. However, the D-RAM and mobile handset markets are expected to suffer a supply glut this year, which is feared to lead to a significant drop in product prices and erode profitability, the SERI said It also predicted that the mobile phone sector would see its annual growth rate slow down to around 10 percent this year, affected by reducing demands by advanced countries. In the digital home appliance sector, meanwhile, the digital TV is expected lead the market, apparently boosted by the special demands for the 2006 Germany World Cup. The PC market is likely to record a double- digit rise this year, thanks to brisk sales of low-priced PCs and notebook PCs, the institute said.