2008 Asian - Mobile Operators

This market report provides a wide-ranging review of telecom operators across the Asian region. The overview includes around 170 operators ranging from the giant China Mobile which is expected to have more than 440 million subscribers by late 2008 to a number of small operators with only a few thousand subscribers. The list of operators gathered by BuddeComm does not claim to be exhaustive but it certainly is indicative of the breadth and variety of operator to be found in the region.

The focus of this report is on the operators within the individual national markets. Of course, in addition to these individual operators there are those companies such as SingTel, Vodafone, Hutchison and Telekom Malaysia that have built a substantial presence around the region through their shareholdings in operators in multiple markets. This aspect of these corporations is not discussed in any detail but is mentioned in passing in the country-by-country review.

Top 15 mobile operators in Asia by number of subscribers – 2007 - 2008

(Source: BuddeComm based on Global Mobile data)

Note: *Formerly Hutchison.

With the progressive opening up of markets to more competition, we have seen the licensing of more and more operators in the various countries of the region. Only a handful of these countries are still clinging to a single state-owned incumbent structure today. Typically markets are characterised by a number of operators in each segment competing on price, service quality, service offering and other market areas to win market share, build customer bases and healthy businesses.

We have seen markets like India where some rather complex licensing systems saw dozens of operators enter the market; this was followed by a period of market rationalisation, which ultimately produced a highly effective commercial environment. Similar processes have taken place right across the region.

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