National and European Union Regulatory Issues;
Telecom Market Liberalisation;
National and International Infrastructure;
Network Operators - Strategies and Market Analysis;
Local Loop Unbundling - Status and Policies;
Carrier Preselection and Number Portability;
National Competitive Environments;
Incumbent Market Shares - Strategic Assessments.
Executive Summary
This Europe market report covers the region’s telecom market in 2006. The market grew steadily on the back of strong underlying economic performances, and greater market and consumer confidence. The inexorable decline in fixed voice revenue has shifted operator focus to revenue-rich sectors such as mobile data and to content delivered over upgraded IP networks. These services, including Video-on-Demand and IPTV, are nascent in most markets, but promise considerable growth in 2007 and 2008 as consumers gain a greater understanding of the concepts and as broadband infrastructure to carry the services is expanded. In most markets, mobile telephony and broadband remain the drivers fuelling the more positive outlook in Europe’s telecom landscape. This was reflected in the massive investments during 2006 in ADSL2+ and fibre roll-outs, and in new mobile technologies such as HSDPA, which is commercially available in 24 of the 27 EU countries. Consumer-driven content and further refinement in business models focussed on fixed-cost mobile broadband plans are likely winners in coming years. Other key developments expected in 2007 include the further progress towards Next Generation Networks (NGN), moving infrastructure to an IP packet-based, full service typology. The principal innovators in this sector - British Telecom, KPN, France Telcom and Deutsche Telekom - have set the pace and will alter the face of the industry by the end of the decade. In addition, many of the major players having consolidated businesses to strengthen their positions in the face of increased competition will begin to launch additional services (such as Vodafone with broadband), capitalising on growth areas in other sectors and further contributing to the convergence of technologies. The report presents the latest statistics for Europe’s telecom market in 2006, together with an assessment of regulatory provisions in the broadband and fixed-line sectors on the national and European level, including proposed amendments to the New Regulatory Framework in 2007. It also provides an overview of principal operators, and their strategies for gaining market share in 2007 and beyond. The report also analyses emerging trends and expected growth sectors developing in coming years, providing the background to assess how this important market will progress to the end of the decade. The report includes the following markets, among others:
Belgium
Belgium’s telecom market is substantially influenced by its larger neighbours, while its population split between Flemish and Walloon has created endemic opportunities for content providers. The country also hosts one of the administrative centres of the EU, which has attracted considerable investment from multinationals and an influx of workers which has influenced also contributed to exceptionally high mobile penetration levels. The telecom market was expected to be one of the fastest growing markets in Europe in 2007, largely due to network upgrades which have rapidly expanded the triple play and converged services sectors. Belgium is also one of the most densely cabled countries in Europe, and many cable TV networks have digital capacity providing a viable alternative to ubiquitous copper-based DSL broadband services.
Denmark
As with the other Scandinavian countries, Denmark has an advanced telecom market with both Internet and broadband penetration substantially higher than the EU average. The country has one of the lowest fixed-line telephony interconnection tariffs in the EU, though this has not put a brake on the surging mobile market which continued to grow by about 7% in 2006. The ongoing consolidation of telcos accelerated in Denmark during 2006, with larger international operators purchasing smaller ones. The two major cable TV operators are owned by the two largest telcos, while an increasing trend sees the packaging of services and various price schemes in an effort to retain customers. Nevertheless, the maturity of Denmark’s telecom market has slowed major investments in the sector, as opportunities in less developed markets in other countries offer greater returns. A large part of planned or ongoing investments in communications infrastructure can be attributed to the roll-out of 3G-networks, while plans by utility companies to connect households with fibre also represent major investments in fixed networks.
Germany
Germany has Europe’s largest population and largest telecom market, worth an estimated €69 billion in 2006. Much of this revenue has been generated by alternative operators as they continue to slice away at the market share of a struggling Deutsche Telekom: the number of fixed telephony customers served by alternative operators reached about 28 million by the end of 2006 while a growing number of independent municipal networks have stripped the incumbent of much needed line rental income. The outlook for 2007 is less positive than in former years, with data services and mobile telephony likely to outgrow the fixed-line telephony sector by 9%, but lacking sufficient growth to prevent a stagnant market which may show zero growth in 2007. Broadband take-up has increased well in recent years, with competitors accounting for about 45% of the DSL market in 2006. Further growth in 2007 and 2008 may be affected by the Bundesrat having granted Deutsche Telekom a regulatory holiday for its VDSL network, as competitors are denied wholesale access - unless EC intervention enforces it during 2007 - and so lose commercial viability to build alternative networks. Nevertheless, consolidation in the cable sector has resulted in increased investment in network upgrades, providing a realistic alternative to the dominance of Deutsche Telekom.
For more information, Please visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/
or email us at : info@bharatbook.com
You can also call us at +91-(022)-2757 8668 or +91-(022)-2757 9131
