Rambler's Top100
Все новости World News

Top 5 Trends Impacting European Operators

23 июля 2008

The majority of mobile operators are at a transition point between a maturing voice and SMS market and the growth in data services based upon high-speed networks. With the exception of markets such as Eastern Europe, India and Africa, voice ARPUs are flat or in decline, and SMS looks destined to follow this trend.

As the industry matures, several trends will become apparent. Here are FierceWireless:Europe's top 5 trends for the wireless market.

Better indoor coverage

Around 80 percent of our time is spent indoors with approximately 90 percent of our information exchanges being generated whilst in the home or office. However, the poorest cellular access is probably experienced within buildings. If high-speed data services are to provide the next revenue boost, then femtocells (or something similar) will have to be deployed. These units have the added benefits of offloading traffic from the cellular backhaul and delaying the need for more 3G base stations.


QoS becoming of high importance

Already being mentioned as the 'forgotten killer app for 3G,' QoS for data services will become of greater significance if users of the iPhone, and its many imitators, are to seamlessly browse the web and use the multitude of data applications. QOS will provide them with solid connections and consistent broadband throughput.


RAN sharing back on the agenda

Having been talked of for some years, RAN sharing is again on the radar. The driver is reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) presently impacting operators--especially with declining voice ARPUs. This is also the case with investments in emerging markets where infrastructure costs can be high while there is limited ARPU associated with these customers. Between equals, network sharing can be a win-win strategy, but must be done in such a way that regulators do not perceive competition is altered.


Repackaging of existing services to remain competitive

With the bulk of mobile revenue still being generated by voice services, there will be increased pressure on operators to remain competitive and differentiate themselves in the marketplace. This will lead to an upsurge in the bundling--or repackaging, of services, including home zones, flat-rate options, more minutes/ text messages and discounted roaming and data download tariffs.


WiMAX growth to be contained by LTE

The timeline for LTE has been adrift, letting WiMAX gain footholds in European markets. Now that the supporters of LTE have ramped up their efforts the required standards should appear late this year, instead of 2012 as previously planned. This move will stop WiMAX gaining traction, and the race as to which will become the winner is much closer, if not over.


These trends are all on different timelines but are being driven by the need for operators to reshape their business models within mature markets. Some will be short-term, others will take much longer to implement.


These trends are based upon anecdotal evidence with the assistance of Terry Norman, senior analyst, Analysys Mason.

Источник: FierceWireless

Заметили неточность или опечатку в тексте? Выделите её мышкой и нажмите: Ctrl + Enter. Спасибо!

Оставить свой комментарий:

Для комментирования необходимо авторизоваться!

Комментарии по материалу

Данный материал еще не комментировался.