Written by Jamie Beach
Mobile broadband subscribers will grow from 15 per
cent of all mobile users worldwide in 2011 to nearly 40 per cent by
2016, according to US Infonetics Research.
Mobile broadband
services are predicted to push mobile service revenues to $976bn by
2016, with SMS and voice revenues continuing to cling on, despite
erosion by over-the-top services.
On a global basis, operators
expect to see a six per cent increase in revenue from mobile voice,
mobile broadband, and mobile messaging services in 2012, with the
highest growth to come from Asia Pacific and Latin America, while the
EMEA region is expected to see a slight decline due to fierce
competition and economic turmoil.
“The mobile world is undeniably
shifting from voice to data, as mobile operators migrate as many
subscribers as they can to data service plans and smartphones,” said
Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst for mobile
infrastructure and carrier economics.
“Already in North America
and Asia Pacific, mobile operators derive over 40 per cent of their
mobile revenue from mobile broadband and messaging. But, while mobile
broadband is no doubt the fastest growing revenue stream for operators,
mobile messaging and voice aren’t dead just yet, not by a long shot.”
