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Analysis of European telco priorities reveals surprising results
We recently conducted an exercise looking very closely at the major strategic initiatives that have been implemented by the European telco community. It was a fascinating exercise that revealed a perhaps surprising level of consensus amongst all major European telcos. Whilst the tactics in reaching the goals may vary, our analysis showed the long-term strategic priorities are shared and fall into four very clear and focused aims.
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LTE looms on the horizon, but GSM still has a long shelf life, says Thomas Wehmeier
I recently chaired the keynote session at our flagship LTE World Summit in Amsterdam. The event was packed with a who’s who of the LTE sector – more than 600 attendees from all around the world and all parts of the LTE ecosystem. Perhaps not an obvious occasion upon which to switch discussion toward the useful life of 2G. But with Seizo Onoe of NTT DoCoMo confidently outlining the Japanese operator’s aggressive plans to switch off its 2G network within two years and many other operators wondering how long they’ll have to operate multiple costly radio access networks (GSM, UMTS, LTE), the discussion was entirely valid. Would other operators join DoCoMo in moving away from their 2G networks so early? We’re not yet convinced and believe the Japanese situation is a very market-specific issue based both on the choice of a proprietary and niche technology (PDC) for 2G and on an unusually high level of 3G coverage and user migration in that market.
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Highlights from Day 2 of the MWC in Barcelona
Voice takes centre stage
It’s the end of day two here in Barcelona and despite the wind, rain and the long queues at the entrance gates (not to mention the food halls), it’s been another overwhelmingly positive day. The hustle and bustle in and around the stands here at MWC is obvious and there’s clearly an upbeat mood generally, a marked contrast to last year’s event.
Perhaps one reason for the general positive feeling is that operators have remembered just how big this business is. There’s a lot of talk about the importance of data and whilst it will, of course, be the main revenue driver in the future, it’s worth taking stock of just how much the mobile industry has grown. Informa’s latest forecasts suggest that more than US$700 billion will be generated in operator service revenues from voice in 2010 alone. Read the rest of this entry »
Analyst
Thomas Wehmeier
Thomas Wehmeier is a Principal Analyst within Informa Telecoms & Media’s Industry Research division, where he heads up its regionally-focused research team. His specialized interests lie in analyzing mobile operator strategies, in particular looking at the impact of technological evolution from 2G through 3G to 4G from an operator perspective. Thomas also looks closely at the impact of regulation on mobile operator business models. Thomas has presented frequently at international events and is regularly quoted in the mainstream and trade press. He has a close relationship with Informa’s key clients and spends much of his time visiting operators, vendors & banks across Asia, Europe and the Americas to advise them on the latest developments in the global cellular industry. Thomas is also the product manager of the Informa Telecoms & Media’s World Cellular Information Service, the leading service for quantitative intelligence on the mobile industry, which is trusted by blue-chip clients across all parts of the mobile value chain. In this role he is responsible for directing the overall strategy and development of the service ensuring it constantly evolves to reflect the speed of development of the mobile industry.
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