Mobile Operators Remedy Slowdown In Growth

The years of buoyant growth are apparently over. Wireless carriers are facing a future where year-on-year revenue increases are crumbling.

According to a recent study by the GSM Association (GSMA) who represent the interests of worldwide carriers, annual revenue increases of 5 % and more belong to the past. Research in their report "The Mobile Economy" indicates that growth will be more in the order of 2 % as we reach the end of this decade.

wi360.com, a portal that tracks mobile and wireless events across the globe, notes that carriers are countering this slow down with a range of measures. In particular any or multiple of the following trends have been observed in different countries and regions:

• the merging of regional operators, in order to minimize the costs of operating networks, and to strengthen their negotiation clout when purchasing new infrastructure components from suppliers
• acquiring telcos and service providers with complementary offerings in fixed-line, cellular, cable and satellite fields, allowing consumers to sign up for telephony, internet and TV services from a single supplier
• abandoning cell phone subsidies as a means to secure contracts
• moving away from flat-rate data tariffs to usage plans and finally to service-based contracts
• pushing into new terrain such as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Internet-of-Things( IoT), automotive connectivity, mobile payments, Over-The-Top (OTT) services, location-based advertising through joint alliances or company acquisitions

„In the USA this year, Verizon Wireless purchased content provider AOL for $ 4.4 billion“ notes wi360 founder Niels Kellerhoff. With this move Verizon will not only increase their offering of video content on mobile devices but also leverage AOLs smart technology that connects buyers and sellers of online video advertising in real-time. Last year Vodafone acquired Kabel Deutschland in Germany in order to extend their portfolio into the cable/fixed-line domain. This year British Telecom reached an agreement to buy the UK’s largest mobile operator Everything Everywhere. „The writing has been on the wall for a long time as these trends have been key themes of past specialist conferences“ says Kellerhoff.

Conferences, exhibitions and workshops provide a clear snapshot of what the wireless future holds in store. A two-year window on events as track led by wi360 uncovers some key topics. (see figure).

An up-to-date Event Calendar at www.wi360.com sorted by key technology themes shows which wireless conferences and exhibitions are happening around the world.