Save the Date: Mobile
Future Forward 2011 - Sept 12 2011
Mobile Future
Forward is a unique gathering of some of the most influential
minds in the mobile industry. The experts and visionaries from
around the world will discuss and debate the future of mobile
industry.
Check out
the 2010 Event Summary. Details to come soon.
In proud partnership
with: AT&T Interactive,
Millennial Media, Openwave
, Real Networks,
Synchronoss
Technologies
Inquiries:
info@mobilefutureforward.com
Competition and the Evolution of Mobile Markets
A
Study of Competition in Global Mobile Markets
Download Paper
(45 pages, 2MB)
Over the course of the last decade, mobile communications has
become an essential part of the global fabric of evolution. With
almost 70% global subscription penetration as of 2010, mobility
is being embedded into almost every facet of our lives. Mobility
is also spreading across verticals whether it is m-pesa in Kenya
or SMS based counterfeit medicine detection in Ghana or paying
for your coffee using your NFC enabled mobile phone in a Tokyo
café or watching the cricket world cup broadcast while hiking
the Yangtze river near Tibet. Consumers expect access to
information everywhere they are and the ecosystem is responding
with continued innovation, which has become extremely critical
in managing the competitiveness of nations.
It is also apparent that some of the innovation and market
dynamics has been evidenced by the competitiveness of
these markets at different levels – network, devices, and
services. While the market entry conditions into the devices and
software services markets have gone through significant overhaul
this last decade, the competitiveness framework of the mobile
networks has been more structured and controlled in many
instances.
Given the importance of the mobile network infrastructure to
every nation’s competitiveness, security, and productivity, it
is useful to understand how the “competitive mobile markets” are
formed. In theory, the perfectly competitive markets are in the
best interest of the consumers as they provide the best value
given the competitive dynamics and the equilibrium provides good
checks and balances for the ecosystem.
The global mobile networks have shown a remarkable adherence to
the “Rule of Three” which states that in any mature
industry, 3 top players dominate the market. Sometimes it has
been dictated by the regulators and in other instances by the
markets. Some markets like in Europe have settled into a state
of equilibrium while other hyper growth markets like India are
shuffling to find the right balance.
The elements of globalization are also shaping how mobile
network operators grow. The regulators and the political class
are increasingly looking at mobile networks as national assets
and any foreign ownership generally goes through tremendous
scrutiny.
Having worked in major mobile markets around the world, we have
been intrigued by the framework for a competitive market and
this is the theme we explore in this working paper. Having the
front row seat in an industry that is growing stupendously has
given us some unique perspective on the competitive forces at
work in the mobile space. We studied the competitive landscape
in 40 top mobile markets around the globe.
This paper presents the analysis and an in-depth analytical
framework to study the competitive landscape in the global
mobile markets.
Download Paper
(45 pages, 2MB)
Disclaimer: Some of the companies mentioned in this paper are
our clients.
