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: -Research and Markets: The Saudi Communications Market (Including Pay-TV) Generated Almost $11.3bn in Service Revenue in 2009, a Figure Expected To Reach About $14.3bn In 2015(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) RDATE:08122010 Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b302d4/saudi_arabia_telec) has announced the addition of the "Saudi Arabia Telecom Intelligence Report: Mobile Competition Heats Up" report to their offering. As the mobile market heats up, Saudi operators are looking to convergence in search of a competitive edge, according to this new report. Saudi Arabia: Mobile Competition Heats Up offers a precise profile of the country's telecommunications, media, and technology sectors based on proprietary data from Pyramids research in the market. It provides detailed competitive analysis of both the fixed and mobile sectors, tracks the market shares of technologies and services, and monitors the introduction and spread of new technologies. Thanks to the regulator's consistent effort and determination to promote competition and development in the telecom sector, a market that was a monopoly in early 2005 now has four active players in the mobile sector and three licensees in the fixed sector. "Pyramid expects the market to grow from $11.3 billion in 2009 to $14.3 billion in 2015, fueled mostly by growth in mobile data as all three GSM operators have launched 3G services," says Hussam Barhoush, Senior Analyst at Pyramid. "The next five years will see further price cuts on mobile voice services due to additional competition, but these cuts will be largely compensated for by a dramatic rise in mobile data usage. We are projecting mobile data to grow at a 2010-2015 CAGR of 17 percent, to reach $2.9 billion in 2015," notes Barhoush. "We expect the number of mobile subscriptions to grow at a CAGR of 4 percent, from about 42.5 million forecast in 2010 to more than 51.8 million in 2015. However, Saudi Arabia's comparatively low user penetration rate only 77 percent in 2009, placed in contrast to its subscription penetration of 146 percent further demonstrates the market's potential for more growth," he adds. In 2009, 42 percent of handsets in Saudi Arabia were 3G-enabled, and we expect that share to reach 79 percent by 2015. "We expect the introduction of 4G in 2011, as all three GSM players conducted LTE trials in 2009 and 2010. Due to the popularity of mobile broadband, we expect all three mobile operators to roll out LTE networks in the long term and for adoption to be comparatively rapid," indicates Barhoush. To help differentiate themselves, operators are looking toward convergence to give them an edge. "The two biggest operators, STC and Mobily, already have networks and licenses permitting them to offer both fixed and mobile services and are looking to convergence, both as a cost-saving mechanism and as a way to gain a competitive edge," notes Barhoush. Executive Summary: The Saudi communications market (including pay-TV) generated almost $11.3bn in service revenue in 2009, a figure we expect to reach about $14.3bn in 2015. Mobile voice revenue dominated the market in 2009, contributing 64% of total revenue. We expect strong growth in the mobile data front, as all three GSM operators have launched 3G services. We are projecting mobile data to grow at a 20102015 CAGR of 17%, to reach $2.9bn in 2015. As dial up service continues to decline, we project broadband internet to grow by 11% in 20102015, leading to strong revenues of about $1.8bn in 2015. Key Topics Covered: - Executive Summary - Market and Competitor Overview - Saudi Arabia in a regional context - Economic, demographic and political context - Regulatory environment - Demand profile - Service evolution - Competitive landscape - Major market players - Segment analysis - Mobile services - Fixed services - Pay-TV - Convergence - Identifying Opportunities For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b302d4/saudi_arabia_telec Source: Pyramid Research, Inc. ((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to [email protected])). (c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |