Box Magazine

Archive for January, 2011

According to market intelligence firm, iSuppli Corp.; cell phone ownership has become near ubiquitous in India, with wireless subscriptions in 2014 expected to amount to more than 97 percent of the country’s population of 1.26 billion.

With about 19 million new subscribers added each month during the first four months of 2010 alone, India’s wireless subscriptions are going at a rapid clip. By the end of this year, total wireless subscriptions are projected to reach 766.0 million—45.9 percent higher than the 525.1 million subscribers counted at the end of 2009, iSuppli mobile industry forecasts show.

The pace of growth for the future shows little sign of slackening. Subscriber numbers will continue to increase during the next four years, topping the 1 billion mark by 2012, as shown in the attached figure. By 2014, mobile teledensity—a measure of cell phone availability—likely will reach 97.4 percent per 100 persons.

“Such high mobile teledensity means that almost everyone—except children and the abjectly poor—will have a cell phone in India, with those having multiple mobiles boosting total subscription rates and compensating for those without,” said Jagdish Rebello, PhD, Senior Director & Principal Analyst (Communications & Consumer Electronics) at iSuppli.

All told, the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for mobile handset subscribers in the world’s second most populous country after China will reach 18.6 percent from 2009 to 2014.
Driving the overall growth of wireless subscribers is the expansion of the rural Indian market, where entry-level handsets are most popular.

“A key trend in 2009 was the shift in focus of service providers and handset manufacturers toward the countryside, which continues to offer significant and untapped market opportunity,” Rebello said. “In comparison, the urban market—which accounts for only 30 percent of the country’s population but represents almost 70 percent of telecom subscribers—is close to saturation.”

Accompanying the surge in wireless subscriber numbers is an equal burst of activity in the country’s wireless infrastructure equipment market. With telecom operators upgrading and expanding existing networks, spending on India’s wireless infrastructure equipment market in 2010 will reach $10.8 billion, up 29.7 percent from $8.3 billion last year.

By 2011, network infrastructure spend will rise to more than $11 billion, thanks to the rollout of WiMAX and 3G mobile technology services. The launch of 3G technology in the fourth quarter of 2010 is also expected to significantly boost the sales of smart phones in the country, iSuppli’s India telecom market research shows.

Not surprisingly, a supply chain for telecom manufacturing is emerging, with manufacturers establishing local plants to save on importing costs. Local production capabilities will provide manufacturers with a distinct advantage in the price-sensitive rural Indian market, and various players already have announced their plans to further invest in the expansion of manufacturing and R&D facilities.

Learn more about new developments occurring in India’s wireless industry with Rebello’s new telecom market research report, Wireless Communications Flourish in India despite Down Economy at http://www.isuppli.com/Mobile-and-Wireless-Communications/Pages/Wireless-Communications-Flourish-in-India-Despite-Down-Economy.aspx

Cell phones have become an important part of our lives; we can’t live a day without one. Not only is a cell phone a great way to communicate, it’s a great way to stay entertained. Whether you text message, listen to music, make phone calls, read emails, play games, or watch videos, you can still take advantage of your cell plan through SIM only deals.

A SIM, or subscriber identity module card, has many benefits. For example, you can easily handle multiple telephone numbers, switch to different phones, and get instant connection with a SIM card. SIM contracts are much easier to activate than traditional cell phone plans. A regular cell phone plan would require you to go through a service provider to get your phone connected. Simply put, SIM only deals cut out the middleman. All you have to do is buy a SIM card and install it in a phone that accepts SIM cards and you’ll be connected within minutes. With SIM only deals you get to select the carrier you want and not have to worry about what kind of headset you want. This is because all kinds of cell phones that use SIM cards are available in the market today.

The applications that SIM cards have are endless. Imagine being able to use someone else’s phone, but using your own SIM card. You can instantly transfer your number, phone service, contacts, and any other related data onto that phone for temporary use. This is because a SIM card stores all your important information.

If you were a business owner you would probably need a separate line to stay in touch with your associates. That doesn’t mean you need two phones. You can have one number on the weekdays as well as a number for personal use on the weekends from a single phone. This is all a matter of switching SIM cards.

Traveling is another reason why SIM contracts are great. When you have a phone that accepts SIM cards, it’s easier to stay connected when you are in another country. Buying a SIM card from a local store in another region will give you immediate access to cell phone service without you having to buy another phone. Keep in mind that SIM cards are already widely used in other countries.

SIM only deals are becoming more and more popular worldwide and especially here at home. SIM contracts can also come with special deals, such as extra airtime minutes and higher text message limits than you’d normally receive otherwise. Nearly every major carrier allows SIM only contracts, which only makes SIM only deals more convenient.