Maybe we should be pulling for GPRS rather than trashing it.
It seems to be important.
The Strategis Group Releases Findings of European Cellular Market Reports
Friday June 15 9:11am
PR Newswire
GPRS Success is Essential for Restoring Investor Confidence in 2002
LONDON, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The European mobile communications industry has been experiencing a dramatic slowdown in its expansion, but The Strategis Group believes that mobile investors should not lose confidence in the European Cellular Marketplace. Future growth will be attributed to subscribers upgrading handsets and services rather than new subscriber adoptions.
The European market is suffering from a lack of "head room" as cellular markets start to saturate. In 1998 and 1999, growth stood at more than 40%, but in 2000 that figure declined to 37.5% and in 2001, it is expected to top out at 23%. The Strategis Group forecasts that the decline will continue into 2002 and that European Cellular Markets will achieve only 11.2% growth in total subscriptions.
[chart in next post in fixed font]
Projected Subscription Growth, W&E Europe, 1995 to 2008
Beginning in the 2nd half of 2001, Europe will transition to 3G, by uptaking 2.5G GPRS services. The overall growth rate will decline, the migration of users from "Basic GSM" to GPRS, and ultimately to W-CDMA (starting in 2003), will provide a new 'revenue engine' for operators and manufacturers. "GPRS success by 4Q-2001 will be essential. If that doesn't occur, we are not going to see an upturn in investor confidence in the mobile communications arena for some time to come," said Jake Saunders, European Director of the Strategis Group Europe.
The Strategis Group further discusses its findings in three reports, Mapping European Cellular Trends, Strategis dataBank: European Cellular Markets Eastern and Strategis dataBank: European Cellular Markets Eastern. The Strategis Group analyses the development of each of the 39 cellular market places throughout Western and Eastern Europe, covering subscribers, service revenues and terminals.
About The Strategis Group
The Strategis Group, a C7 company, with offices in Washington, London, Singapore, and Sao Paulo, is a leading telecommunications research and consulting firm worldwide. Founded in 1964, Strategis publishes in-depth industry research reports, provides customized consulting services and supplies continuous information solutions to the cable TV, wireless, broadband, Satellite, competitive telephony and Internet industries.
For more information about Strategis, contact an account executive at 44-20-7363-5602 (voice), 44-20-7363-5610 (fax), or visit the web site at strategisgroup.com .
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