TELECOMS & MOBILE
Global mobile subscriptions hit 3bn
02-07-2007
by Emmet Ryan
Worldwide mobile phone subscriptions have hit the 3 billion mark, according to a new report by Informa Telecoms & Media.
The study, entitled Multiple SIMs: Quantifying the phenomenon taking mobile penetration beyond 100 percent, estimates that the number of actual mobile users is far lower than the total number of subscriptions.
Informa estimates that the total number of mobile phone users worldwide is around 2.3 billion, equating to 1.32 subscriptions per user. The research firm predicts the number of mobile phone users won't hit the 3 billion mark until 2009, by which stage it expects subscriptions to break the 4 billion barrier.
Comparatively, Ireland also has significantly more phone subscriptions than users. The latest figures from ComReg show a total of 4.7 million subscriptions, equating to 112 percent market penetration.
Informa expects the number of multiple-SIM users to continue to rise as operators seek to extract incremental revenues from customers by offering second SIMs for cheaper call rates, data services and roaming. The research firm expects this trend to continue in countries such as Ireland where penetration has broken the 100 percent barrier.
Informa said expansion of the subscription base continues to offer potential for overall revenue growth for operators even as the price per minute for traditional mobile voice services declines.
Creating successful email surveys: Denise Cox of email specialist Newsweaver argues that you can tap into your readers' likes or dislikes by surveying them.
