2013 Sweden - Telecoms, IP Networks, Digital Media and Forecasts

LTE customer base broaches 500,000, with most accessing at least 30Mb/s

Sweden’s telecom market has one of the most mature mobile and broadband sectors in Europe, with one of the best developed LTE infrastructures in the region and a high penetration of fibre broadband services. The country was also the first in Europe to complete the switch to digital TV broadcasting. The mobile sector has seen innovative spectrum use, with extensive network upgrades providing a significant proportion of subscribers with fast mobile broadband services. This report introduces the key aspects of the Swedish telecom market, providing data on fixed network services and profiling the main players. It also assesses the functional separation of the incumbent TeliaSonera and reviews the sale of Tele2’s domestic broadband and cable TV businesses to Telenor. In addition, the report overviews the key regulatory issues, including interconnection, local loop unbundling, number portability, carrier preselection and NGN open access.

Sweden enjoys one of the highest broadband penetration rates in Europe, the result of effective government broadband policies and a population quick to adopt emerging technologies. DSL dominates broadband access, though Metro Ethernet and WLAN access are also available. The fibre sector is also among the most vibrant in the world, and Sweden now has among the largest number of fibre connections in Europe. Considerable investment in mobile networks has also made mobile broadband a fast-growing area, while the country is at the global forefront in developing mobile broadband based on LTE technology. This report examines Sweden’s fixed and wireless broadband markets, and also presents statistical broadband forecasts to 2020.

Considerable investments in ADSL2+ and fibre networks by Sweden’s telcos in recent years have provided the infrastructure for consumer adoption of bundled services. The largest cable TV operators, Com Hem and Kabelvision, have upgraded their networks to provide fast data services, which has led to customer some migration from DSL. Switchover to digital transmission was completed in late 2007, providing the government with the first opportunity in Europe to make use of the digital dividend for wireless broadband services. This report provides an overview of Sweden’s digital TV and converging media markets, including recent developments in VoD, triple play and VoIP services.

The mobile sector has benefited from one of Europe’s most developed markets for LTE services. A significant proportion of mobile subscribers now make use of LTE services, which for many customers provide a viable alternative to fixed-line broadband. The market has been enervated by greater consumer take-up for mobile data services as competition has forced down prices. With the closing down of the analogue network, spectrum in the 450MHz and 900MHz bands has been put to digital use to provide a national mobile broadband service. Spectrum in the 800MHz and 1800MHz bands is also providing MNOs with additional capabilities for their LTE networks. This report provides statistics and analysis on the Swedish mobile market, including the key regulatory issues, the growth of mobile data services and forecasts for subscribers base and mobile ARPU to 2015.

Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year