Rating: Report from Pyramid says Africa & Middle East region will pass 1 billion subscribers in Q1 2013
Growth in revenues from emerging market services will outpace the growth in developed market service revenue by a factor of 5:1, says market watcher, Pyramid Research. Mobile subscribers in the Africa & Middle East region will surpass the one billion mark in Q1 2013 – making it the second region to reach this milestone after the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, the industry should hit the 7 billion mobile subscription landmark by Q1 2014.
Daniel Amparan, Pyramid Research’s md, commented, “Reaching the 7 billion mobile subscription mark by year’s end is particularly significant because it translates into a 100 percent penetration mark.”
Pyramid believes that exposure to emerging markets has become a critical factor for success in this industry.
It is currently characterised by stagnation in developed markets; intense competition; consumer choice and disruptive business models.
Ampara adds, “While telecom service revenue in emerging markets will increase five times faster than in developed markets[in 2013], nearly 90 per cent of the two billion subscribers to come online in the next five years will reside in emerging markets.”
Other predictions contained in the report include the forecast that emerging markets are lagging behind in 4G spectrum allocation but will be better positioned to do it right.
The report is entitled ‘Pyramid Perspective 2013: Top Trends in the Global Communications Industry’ and readers can register to download the full report here.
