Australia - Telecoms - Calling Card Markets - Background Report

Synopsis

This is now a matured market, with a well defined customer base and business processes that have been finetuned to make it a smooth running and efficient business operation. Ethnic groups are the largest users of calling cards and as migrants and backpackers leave their home lands to live, work and travel in Australia, the international calling market doesn’t look like fading away anytime soon.

Though the market is quite strong, current market factors and new technology will see prepaid international calling change significantly in the coming years. With more than 16 million users Skype is one of those disruptive elements in the market.

By 2015 it is predicted that almost 50% of this market will shift to wireless cards. This move from physical to wireless would result in an increase in the overall market size, possibly doubling the market in a three to five year period. Even with this shift, there will still be a section of this market that depends on physical phonecards and that requires competitive rates to drive their purchase.

gotalk is the market leader but after having taken over several companies themselves, in 2011 their post paid business was acquired by ClubTelco.

Companies included:

Access Telecoms, Australian Telecom Holdings Pty Ltd, Cardcall, Gotalk, Global Card Services, Lebara, Lyca, Prepad Services (PPS), Telecorp, Tele.Pacific and World Telecom, ClubTelco.