The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than half of the world’s 7.7 billion wireless subscribers, but it remains a region of extremes. It’s home to some of the most advanced mobile markets as well as some of the least developed. While one country boasts the largest 4G LTE market on the planet, others have yet to offer licenses for LTE services.
Africa’s wireless story is one of extremes, opportunity, and playing catch up with surrounding regions.
Just look closer at our GlobalComms Database to get the full story. From growth in subscribers to evolving penetration rates, we see individual countries jump to the front of the pack in these measurements, while the African wireless market as a whole strains to compete with its neighbors.
As tensions on the Korean peninsula continue to mount, there is an increasing focus on the North Korean regime under Kim Jong-un.
The country has strict controls on communications, which have been criticized by human rights bodies such as Amnesty International.
The Iraqi region of Kurdistan recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence.
While the political machinations will continue for some time—with Iraq, Iran, and Turkey all having spoken out against the prospect of an independent Kurdish state—the vote has prompted us to take a closer look at the region’s telecoms markets.
The recent hurricanes that have devastated parts of the U.S. and Caribbean have shown what powerful storms can do to communications systems. But they’ve also highlighted the major role those same systems can play in helping rescue and recovery efforts.
This is why government agencies, first responders, and utility companies ensure that they’re better prepared than ever when threatened with such disasters.
The second most populous nation in the world, India has the second largest mobile market behind China. By March 2017, India was home to 1.17 billion mobile subscribers, up from 1.03 billion 12 months earlier and 969.89 million in March 2015.
Despite this, cellular penetration is comparatively low at around 90 percent at Q1 2017. This is just under the typical 93 percent among countries with a similar per-capita GDP, but well below the regional average of 100 percent.
Poland’s telecoms market is one of the largest in Europe. According to the country’s Office of Electronic Communications, it was worth a whopping PLN39.47 billion ($10.5 billion) in 2016.
Here’s how the market is evolving in 2017.
The recent sale of shares by Altice USA has brought the company firmly into the spotlight, with the $2.15 billion deal becoming the largest initial public offer (IPO) by a U.S. telco since AT&T Wireless shares hit the market in 2000.