According to the research firm Ovum, the global telecom subscriber market has reached a saturation point. It forecasts a compound annual growth of 4 per cent in the number of global subscribers between 2012 and 2018. For the same period, revenues are expected to grow by 50 per cent and start declining in the beginning of 2018.
The global telecom subscriber base and revenues is expected to reach 8.1 billion and $1.1 trillion by 2018. Developed markets including Western Europe and the US will witness lowest growth in telecom subscriber base and revenues. Meanwhile, Africa is expected to witness highest growth with its subscriber base growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 per cent. The subscriber growth in Asia-Pacific will be low. However, the region will still contribute the largest number of new subscribers. The total subscriber base in Asia-Pacific is expected to reach 4.2 billion in 2018.
Ovum says that global average revenue per user (ARPU) will decline at a compound annual growth rate of – 2.7 per cent across markets.
