Emerging Markets - A New Wave for Mobile Communications - South Africa, Mexico, UAE

Synopsis

Archived report. There are exciting opportunities for the mobile communications sector, beyond the traditional BRIC markets which have received much attention. BuddeComm’s Senior Analysts have identified further emerging markets worth consideration and in this report highlight the markets of South Africa, Mexico and United Arab Emirates.

South Africa has a vibrant mobile market that has seen rapid uptake since competition was introduced to the sector in the 1990s. Market penetration is well above 100%, driven by separate subscriptions for voice and mobile broadband services, following the launch of third generation (3G) and LTE services. The network operators are increasingly forced to find innovative ways of distinguishing themselves from the competition in order to gain and retain customers, and to streamline their operations.

In Mexico, the regulator has determined that Telmex’s dominance warrants further regulation in certain sectors, and the company has been fined for obstructing interconnection to other operators. A telecom reform law passed in mid-2013 set up a new regulator and is aimed at removing barriers to foreign investment and reducing the market share of the dominant operators. These reforms will go far to making Mexico’s telecom market more competitive.

The UAE has long held the distinction of possessing a well-developed and technologically advanced telecommunications sector with high mobile, telephone and Internet penetration. Competition is slowly improving after the market was liberalised to fulfil World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements. Incumbent Etisalat competes with du and Yahsat. The UAE is a particularly unique market as the very high expatriate population at over 80% presents opportunities that might not be present in markets with a less fluid population.

It can be difficult to obtain useful information on telecommunications in the emerging markets and for this reason this BuddeComm Emerging Markets report offers valuable statistics and information on mobile communications in South Africa, Mexico and United Arab Emirates. Written by BuddeComm’s Regional Senior Analysts, the report includes key mobile statistics and an overview of each market; insights into the regulatory environment and the key mobile technologies in use.

Key developments:

The introduction of GSM by Vodacom and MTN in early 1994 quickly changed the face of telecommunications in South Africa and the country became one of the most important mobile markets outside Europe; Mexico boasts the second largest mobile (cell phone) market in Latin America, after Brazil; The UAE boasts penetration levels that are among the world’s highest. The market is served by a duopoly comprised of incumbent Etisalat and relatively newer market entrant du.