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Cambridge, Massachusetts - June 17, 2010 - As the number of AME mobile broadband subscribers is expected to quadruple to 37.9 million by 2014, mobile broadband providers face the challenge of coming up with pricing plans that are appealing to lower-income, prepaid-only subscribers without causing network congestion or relying on device subsidies, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).
Mobile Broadband Pricing in AME: Strategies to Maximize Use and Minimize Congestion analyzes the opportunities and risks for operators offering mobile broadband, against the size of the mobile broadband market from 2009-2014. It discusses the common patterns in mobile broadband pricing that have emerged across the region so far, and then the areas in which operators’ strategies still diverge significantly. The report also includes detailed case studies of available packages in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, home to some of AME’s most experienced mobile broadband providers. Download an excerpt here. Purchase the report here.
Although the number of mobile broadband users in AME is still undeniably small, it is the fastest-growing segment of the market, generating revenue that we expect to reach $6.4 billion by 2014 as subscribers more than quadruple from 8.9 million in 2009 to 37.9 million in 2014, notes Dearbhla McHenry, Senior Analyst at Pyramid Research and author of this report.
AME operators must solve two serious problems if they are to rely largely on mobile broadband as the main driver of their future data revenues. “The first issue is that of modem or PC subsidies: Broadband devices are expensive, a fact that severely limits the size of the addressable market in AME,” explains McHenry. “The second challenge is network congestion.”
Patterns are emerging in basic broadband tariffs, but optimal strategies for very-low-usage subscribers are still under development. “Prices for basic broadband access packages seem to be converging around 100 to 170 percent of ARPS in each market, but whether, and how, to serve the needs of low-usage broadband subscribers is still very much up for debate,” McHenry says. “AME operators must find a set of prepaid-friendly tariffs and pricing structures that do not rely on device subsidies, which make mobile broadband affordable to the widest possible audience while avoiding excessive network congestion.”
Mobile Broadband Pricing in AME: Strategies to Maximize Use and Minimize Congestion is part of Pyramid Research's Africa/Middle East Telecom Insider report series. Download an excerpt of this report. This report can be purchased online here or by contacting info@pyr.com.
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About Pyramid Research
Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media and technology industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries - a distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years. As the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's most comprehensive market data, trusted research and insightful technology analysis.
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Press contact:
Jennifer Baker
+1 617 871-1910
jbaker@pyr.com
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