Trends & Forecasts

Despite delays to its 3G licensing process and limited competition in certain areas, Algeria’s telecoms sector can boast high mobile penetration and a burgeoning internet telephony market...

The Indian regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has unveiled new figures suggesting that India’s penetration rate could be significantly lower than previously believed - according to the new data, around 200 million SIM cards in India are not active...

After Kazakhstan's mobile market delivered annual growth of 36% in 2008, the 2009 year saw a major slowdown in the market with net growth almost negligible...

The mobile entertainment industry in India is witnessing significant growth, with forecasts predicting that it will reach $4.9 billion in 2015 from $1.2 billion in 2009, growing at a CAGR of 26% in the period 2009-2015...

The total number of global mobile subscriptions at the end of 2010 was 5.5 billion. Of this total, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for a whopping 53% (2.9 billion)...

Two West African countries are the focus of recent market reports, and encouragingly both have healthy mobile sectors...

Tajikistan's telecommunications infrastructure was arguably the least developed of all the former Soviet republics. With a telecom network that was at near total collapse, the government has had the daunting task of bringing it up to modern standards...

Cameroon's economic growth has lagged behind other countries in the region, and this is mirrored by the development of its telecommunications sector...

One of the six GCC countries, Oman has a GDP per capita at a similar level to that of Saudi Arabia but with a much smaller population...

Fourth quarter data provided by operators in the Philippines has resulted in expectations being checked for the market’s growth...

Yemen is much the poorest country in the Middle East and economic difficulties are numerous. Around 35% of the population is below the poverty line...

New deals between America Movil and Digicel will see operations from each firm change hands. Digicel is set to acquire America Movil’s Jamaican operations, but will also sell its businesses in Honduras and El Salvador to the Lat-Am giant in a separate deal...

The Ghana Cocoa Board, The Hershey Company, and the World Cocoa Foundation have announced a first-of-its kind program to use mobile technology to deliver practical information on agricultural and social programs to rural cocoa farmers and enable the farmers to ask questions and provide feedback...

The Chinese government has proposed tracking the location of smartphones as a means of managing and ameliorating heavy traffic in Beijing...

The Honourable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil today launched ‘Sanchar Shakti’ - the Gender Budget scheme for Mobile Connectivity & ICT related livelihood skills for Self Help Groups – an initiative by Vodafone Essar, one of India’s leading cellular services provider under the aegis of Universal Service Obligation Fund of the Department of Telecommunications...

With Thailand beset by ongoing political problems on top of a sluggish economy, the country's telecom sector seems to have lost direction...

Kuwait is one of the wealthier members of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), ranking third in GDP per capita behind Qatar and the UAE, but a closer look at its telecoms sector reveals a major lack of competition in its fixed-line market...

Bhutan could be deemed one of the world’s more insular countries, and the development of its telecommunications sector has been far from typical...

In spite of the worldwide economic downturn (during which India’s economy showed strong resistance compared to its western counterparts), the overall SMB channel partner universe in India has shown organic growth over the last two years...

Compared to many other Middle Eastern countries, Jordan’s telecommunications sector is flourishing, with a liberalised market and healthy competition...

The Chennai-based Global Networks Solutions Centre operated by Nokia Siemens Networks is to be expanded and relocated to a new site in the same Indian city...

Small and medium business (SMB) spending in India on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), a key component of cloud computing, is anticipated to rise by a sizable 43% in 2011...

A new research centre is to be established in Bangalore, India, by The International Data Corporation (IDC). The centre will be wholly owned by IDC, signalling the end of the firm’s long-standing relationship with Cyber Media (India) Limited, which served as IDC's partner and representative in India...

Going into 2011, new reports on the telecommunications sectors of two Middle Eastern countries detail the past year’s progress and potential future developments...

New information on the telecommunications sectors in two West African countries details the successes of privatisation in Mali, as well as the problems faced by Senegal’s Internet market...

Mobile phones have the power to change lives in emerging markets, but attitudes towards gender are in some cases impeding progress. Cat Barton looks at how the advent of mobile phones in Bangladesh is plagued by a 'gender gap'...

A new in-depth look at Israel’s telecommunications market indicates that its size has nearly peaked, but that growth possibilities still remain...

Mobile penetration in two central Asian countries is nearing 100% following healthy growth over the past decade...

Vietnam’s telecommunications sector is witnessing healthy growth with the advent of 3G. Operators are keen to offer the new technology, and increasingly liberalised regulation is attracting foreign firms to the market, according to Pyramid Research. Mobile data services are growing in popularity due to the proliferation of 3G services, and a CAGR of 13.4% is forecast through to 2015...

Updates for the fourth quarter of 2010 are now available for the telecommunications sectors in Kenya and Sudan. Covering mobile, fixed-line and internet sectors, the reports from BMI Research feature the latest market data released by service providers and regulators...

Cambodia has managed a remarkable transition in building a vibrant telecom market. Despite the country's status as one of the least developed nations in the world and whilst it remains one of the poorer countries in Southeast Asia, Cambodia's efforts to expand and upgrade its telecom infrastructure have certainly been bearing fruit. ..

Market research outlining Azerbaijan's telecommunications sector indicates that the country’s economic dynamism is driving growth...

The number of LTE connections in Asia Pacific will exceed 120 million by 2015, according to new data released today by Wireless Intelligence. This aggressive growth will be spearheaded by China with the country expected to account for nearly half (57.9 million) of the total number of LTE connections in Asia Pacific during this period. Major Asian countries are currently driving HSPA and LTE Mobile Broadband uptake to boost productivity, enhance GDP and build more efficient, information-based economies...