Informa Telecoms & Media

OTT app use undermining SMS revenue

Informa Telecoms & Media has predicted that global annual SMS revenues will fall by US$23bn by 2018, to US$96.7bn, down from US$120 billion in 2013. The decline in global SMS revenues will largely be caused by the continuing adoption and use of over-the-top (OTT) messaging applications in both developed and emerging markets.

Vendor interoperability critical for FTTx success

The ability to use equipment from multiple suppliers for fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) networks is critical to driving innovation and reducing costs in network deployments, according to research released at Broadband World Forum.

European Commission outlines single telecoms market package

The European Commission has outlined its plan for a single EU telecoms market. The package calls for the abolition of roaming rates within the EU, spectrum assignment to be coordinated across the continent, consumer rights to be harmonised across Europe, EU-wide protection of net neutrality and simpler rules across the EU to enable companies invest more and cross borders with their offerings.

Operators acknowledge need for small cells in future

Almost all operators (98 per cent) believe that small cells are essential for the future of their networks, according to a report from Informa Telecoms and Media. The research firm’s quarterly small-cell market status report also highlights significant new technological progress with operators announcing major public access deployments and the first dual-mode LTE/3G devices.

Windows 8 to create demand for Microsoft phones

The launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system for PCs, laptops and tablets could ignite demand for its Windows Phone 8 products, according to research firm Informa Telecoms and Media. Malik Saadi, principal analyst at the firm was impressed by the OS and believes it could have a “halo effect” on Microsoft’s efforts in the mobile space.

M2M services performing below expectations

The take-up of machine-to-machine services is lagging behind analyst expectations, as M2M service revenues still only account for 0.5 per cent of mobile operators’ total service revenues, according to the latest data from Informa Telecoms & Media.

App payments crucial for operators as OTT services erode revenues

Operators are set to see their share of mobile content and commerce revenue drop from 44 per cent in 2011 to 31 per cent in 2016 globally, according to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media. This is due to services such as mobile messaging, music, TV and video streaming, location-based services and social-networking increasingly going over-the-top in the next five years.

3G femtocells now outnumber 3G basestations says report

There are now more 3G femtocells globally than 3G base stations, a report from Informa Telecoms and Media has revealed. The report, timed to coincide with the Femtocell World Summit being held in London, reveals that there are now more than 2.3 million 3G femtocells globally, compared to a total of 1.6 million macro 3G base stations.

Eight core LTE bands emerging as most popular for LTE launches

Research undertaken by Informa indicates that, when it comes to LTE launches, eight core bands are emerging as the most popular choices for initial rollouts. In a survey of 150 operators and 50 national regulators, Informa found that these core bands are concentrated around the 700-800MHz, 1800-2100MHz and 2500-2600MHz bands. More than half of the mobile operators surveyed said they were planning to launch LTE in the 2.6GHz band initially.

MNO turnover to hit $1 trillion in 2011

Global mobile operator revenues are set to break the trillion dollar mark for the first time this year. In 2010 the worldwide cellco community – which numbers more than 900 carriers – generated $965bn in annualised service revenues, according to research from Informa Telecoms & Media, and this will grow to more than $1 trillion for 2011. By the end of 2015, annual revenues will hit $1.14tn.

Strong growth for femtocells in 2011, says analyst

The femtocell market is set for renewed growth in 2011, following the entrance of major semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom and deployment commitments by six operators in the last quarter alone. That is the central message from Informa Telecoms & Media’s new quarterly status report on the femtocell market, which is published on the Femto Forum’s website.

Android users the most data-hungry says Arieso

Users of Android handsets place the greatest up- and downlink demands on mobile data networks according to a study carried out by location-based network management firm Arieso. The study used the data usage profile of iPhone3G owners as a benchmark and looked at usage patterns for a range of handsets, including the Blackberry Bold, the Google Nexus One, the HTC Desire, the Sony Ericsson Xperia and the iPhone4.

UK LTE not economically viable until 2015

Unused capacity in existing HSPA networks will satisfy UK demand for mobile broadband for the next four years, according to research from Informa Telecoms & Media. While there may be a perceived benefit in being first to market with next generation technologies, Informa said that it didn’t believe LTE deployments would make economic sense for UK carriers before 2015.

Smartphone traffic to grow 700% in five years

Smartphone use accounts for 65 per cent of all mobile cellular traffic worldwide, despite smartphone penetration running at just 13 per cent, according to research released today from Informa Telecoms & Media. Usage is set to increase exponentially over the next five years, Informa found, with average traffic per smartphone user increasing by 700 per cent by 2015.

Mobile data traffic almost triples year on year

Global mobile data traffic almost tripled in the past year, growing ten times faster than voice traffic, according to statistics released by Swedish vendor Ericsson on Thursday. The firm said that, based on measurements it has made of real network traffic around the world, global mobile data traffic stands at 225,000 terabytes per month as of the second quarter of 2010.