Mobile Operator

Virtual Goods turn into Real Revenues for Mobile Social Networks

Posted by Christine Perey January 15th, 2010

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You know that funny little picture of a sword in the hand of your avatar? Or the animated graphic of a glass of champagne which you received on New Year’s from a friend? What about the kitten which is purring and acting cute next to your girl friend’s name in the new mobile phone book? Have you considered sending out a big bouquet of virtual roses for Valentine’s Day? Read more »

Middle East operators are seeking economies of scale

Posted by Matthew Reed December 14th, 2009

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As the Middle East’s mobile markets mature, and with the impact of the recession still raw, many of the region’s operators are becoming more cost-conscious. Read more »

African operators are focusing on data services

Posted by Matthew Reed November 25th, 2009

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At Informa Telecoms & Media’s Africacom conference in Cape Town earlier this month, it was apparent that major operators across the continent are looking more to data and other value-added services to stimulate future expansion, as the strong growth in mobile subscription count seen in the past few years begins to slow. Read more »

Confusion reigns over M&A in the Middle East and Africa

Posted by Matthew Reed September 15th, 2009

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Progress on the region’s big M&A deals – the prospective sale of Zain Africa or a stake in Zain; and the cash and share-swap deal between Bharti and MTN – appears to have stalled. Read more »

Countries demonstrating vastly different approaches to competition

Posted by Tammy Parker September 10th, 2009

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Three countries in the Caribbean and Central America are taking divergent paths as they nationalize, liberalize or privatize their mobile industries, providing a fascinating microcosm for future study regarding which economic approaches will prove the most fruitful for investors and governments and deliver the best value to customers.

Belize’s government hopes that taking over incumbent operator Belize Telemedia (BTL) will ultimately mean that the company has more money to devote to its networks and enable it to provide better service. Costa Rica’s aim is similar, in that it hopes to bring in licensees to invest money and time in its newly liberalized telecoms market. And the Bahamas is convinced that privatizing its incumbent operator will attract fresh funding and pioneering business tactics that will benefit customers. Read more »

Download the Executive Summary from our Mobile Enterprise report

Posted by baronk September 1st, 2009

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Total mobile enterprise revenues are forecast to reach approximately $92.6bn by 2014 with over 479 million mobile enterprise subscribers. This has been an area that cellular operators have long coveted but have historically failed to generate substantial revenues from. Now more than ever, vendors, operators and content providers must develop strategies to maximise new revenue streams while reducing costs. Read more »

Download the Executive Summary from our Global MVNO Markets report

Posted by baronk September 1st, 2009

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We estimate that there are currently 85 million subscriptions on MVNOs or resellers globally. As the MVNO model reaches several high-growth markets for the first time over the next three years, this will rise to 150.3 million at end-2013. Read more »

Download the Executive Summary from our Financial Crisis report

Posted by baronk September 1st, 2009

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No one is immune to the current economic downturn - even mobile operators are now starting to see an impact on their businesses and customer base. Read more »

Download the Executive Summary from our Mobile Operating Systems report

Posted by baronk September 1st, 2009

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The decline in new handset sales that we are expecting will lead to increased competition and pressure on costs. As a result, the growing power of software in enabling device features and applications will see it play a pivotal role in the smartphone market, which we predict will grow by 30% in 2009. Read more »

Network APIs moment of truth: Are there revenue opportunities?

Posted by Dimitris Mavrakis August 28th, 2009

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Open network APIs are arguably the most publicized alternative business model to the traditional voice, SMS and data operator offering. Network APIs are enablers for a variety of business models, including operator branded application stores, two sided business models, web mashups and developer communities. However, as Tier 1 operators continue to announce API initiatives, there is confusion in the market regarding their revenue potential and whether operators should deviate from the traditional voice or bit pipe paradigm to become smart pipes and third party service enablers. Read more »