Trends & Forecasts

East Africa and Rwanda came out badly when Deloitte published its report on mobile taxation rates. The GSMA, which commissioned the report, has now released more details of how and why Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania can create low-tax regimes.

Saudi Arabia is on the verge of conducting her third mobile licensing procedure. This represents the last major opportunity for Gulf-oriented operators. Developing Telecoms summarises why analysts have come to this conclusion, and highlights some hotspots for growth.

Idea Cellular is a brand-new company which has been traded for only a few days. Its ambitious aims as India's sixth-largest network are confirmed by its announcement that it will invest US$2 billion to hold out against other newly-arrived competitors such as Vodafone...

Investing in African mobile, despite its success in the last few years, still poses challenges to the unprepared. Called simply Mobile Africa, the latest report from Research and Markets looks at a highly exciting trend over the next five years. Economic, social and financial consequences are analysed for 51 African countries.

Investing in African mobile, despite its success in the last few years, still poses challenges to the unprepared. Called simply Mobile Africa, the latest report from Research and Markets looks at a highly exciting trend over the next five years. Economic, social and financial consequences are analysed for 51 African countries...

Portugal Telecom's African operations are set to expand well beyond her present low-key portfolio of four former colonies and a half-share of a partnership in Morocco. The strategy is based on Africa's currently low tele-density. First step is a mobile virtual operation in Angola.

Asia-Pacific remains a high-growth mobile market (61.3% of last year's revenue) at a time when cellular is fast approaching worldwide saturation. India and China are key to this. Analysis to support this view comes from consultants Frost & Sullivan in its report Benchmarking of Service Providers in Asia-Pacific...

Broadband access in emerging markets has been slow to develop due to its reliance on widespread copper-pair infrastructure. Consulting firm Analysys believes that broadband access in developing markets is likely to develop but thanks to new wireless access networks. This report looks at Algeria, where over half of broadband access revenues could be derived from wireless access technologies by 2012. An indicator of the future for emerging markets?

China's north-south telecoms divide has become more pronounced with the news that China Netcom and China Telecom will not look for business opportunities in each other's 'territories.'

Financial analyst Deloitte has revealed the countries whose rates of taxation, direct or indirect, on mobile communications are the highest in the world. Heaviest tax is in Turkey, where the taxation rate as a cost of mobile ownership is over 2.5 times the global average. Deloitte's report, commissioned by the GSMA, is summarised in this critical review...

China is a market which astounds observers with amazing regularity. On this occasion two sources of surprise are almost in competition. The first is that China has just completed a 4G trial in Shanghai and moved to full development - the surprise being that it has achieved this before rolling out 3G. The second surprise is that Chinese 3G has taken so long, as one of our own recent reports has noted...

 

The incumbent international gateway monopoly business model is past its sell-by date; governments should liberalise this market immediately and all stakeholders will benefit. This forceful assertion is the conclusion of Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer to the GSM Association.

The Sudanese telecoms market is increasingly becoming more competitive in both the fixed and cellular markets...

 

Who has the world's largest economy? The 'New' Europe is the answer, according to HP. This new European Union, which now includes Bulgaria and Romania, represents nearly half a billion people. In order to realise its full potential, member states will have to embrace certain changes...

The new year is barely a month old but vendors and technology specialists have much to look forward to according to analysts. Developing Telecoms has taken a look at the forecasts and presents a roundup of the trends and forecasts we think will be important in Asia-Pacific in the next few years...

Some of the signals emanating from the Chinese telecoms market point to 3G in China being that country’s key technological event this year...

Mobile communication is revolutionising economic and social life in rural India, spawning a wave of local entrepreneurs and creating greater access to social services, according to a new study by The Centre for Knowledge Societies commissioned by Nokia. The research identifies seven major service sectors - including transport, finance and healthcare - that could be radically transformed through mobile technologies...

Mobile communication is revolutionising economic and social life in rural India, spawning a wave of local entrepreneurs and creating greater access to social services, according to a new study by The Centre for Knowledge Societies commissioned by Nokia. The research identifies seven major service sectors - including transport, finance and healthcare - that could be radically transformed through mobile technologies...

The markets of Central Asia and the Caspian region vary massively in terms of the degree to which their revenue potential has been successfully addressed. What is more, while outsiders might think of the Asian former Soviet Republics as a homogenous bloc of distant and relatively unfamiliar territory - so often lumped together as 'the stans' - the differences between the take- up of cellular services across these states is striking.

Latin Business Chronicle has just launched its Latin Technology Index, a review of how 17 countries in Central and South America are rising to the challenge of boosting penetration rates in PC, fixed and wireless telephony, Internet, and broadband Internet.

Egypt's telecom market is fairly liberalised, declares the Arab Advisors Group. By December 2006, the regulator (NTRA) had issued more than 200 telecom licences, three cellular licences, two payphone licences, two prepaid calling card licences, four VSAT licences and four international GMPCS operators...

ReCellular Inc has entered a two-year partnership with Vivo of Brazil to ensure safe, secure and environmentally friendly recycling of retired cell phones...

Nokia is expecting that over half of the growth in mobile subscribers will come from emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region, including China and India.

Russia has the potential to become a world leader in advanced mobile communications if it follows a transparent and objective approach to licensing third-generation spectrum, according to the GSM Association.

At the Telecom Development Symposium held as part of ITU Telecom World, leaders (including 180 from 90 of the least-developed and low-income ITU Member States) met to discuss how ICT can help bridge the digital divide and drive growth in their countries. The event was organised by the ITU with support from Cisco Systems. Cat Barton Reports.

Arab Advisors Group has launched a new report which analyses the cellular tariffs for 42 cellular operators in 19 Arab countries.

Over the last five years, the fixed telecoms sector in Central and Eastern Europe has faced major challenges from mobile, which has appeared unstoppable. However, it is now believed that the decline in fixed-line penetration may show signs of slowing down - and that in some markets there may yet be some growth...

Obviously not a superstitious person, Catalin Marinescu, the head of Romania's General Inspectorate for Communications and IT chose Friday October 13 to announce the results of the contest for Romania's last two 3G licences...

Three influential organisations have come together in a pioneering experiment aimed at expanding the coverage available to mobile customers...

Following his analysis of WiMAX technology development globally, Michael Schwartz looks at the potential for WiMAX in South Asia.

A project to make ICT available at all times for pupils in schools in the emerging markets has received a major boost...

The very fact that Saudi Arabia needs to consider the financing of its future growth and development is an indication of how much has changed in the Kingdom in the past few years. It's not that the oil is running out. But other issues such as demographic change and regional instability are leading to a re-evaluation of future plans.

Earlier this year Developing Telecoms reported on the obstacle that was holding the country back from the wireless Internet. Now Cambodia can now look forward to 3G services.