Despite the fact that I blogged about China being next on the WiMAX map, and Rich Tehrani blogged about China being a formidable force, the news today is saying India is the model for the next wave of global wireless growth.
According to a report issued by Datacomm Research, India's wireless subscriber growth will double over the next 2 years and China may, in fact, slow down.
Here are a few facts from the release:
1. Wireless market growth in India hinges on increasing tele-density
above its current 1.7% level in the rural areas that represent 70% of
the population. There is a realistic opportunity to add 100 million
wireless subscribers over the next 2-3 years.
2. There are also significant opportunities for digital applications such
as Push-To-Talk (PTT). The key to success is tying digital applications
into local interests such as the Indian film industry, cricket craze,
and local festivals.
3. India's wireless market is a test bed for alternative infrastructure,
handsets, billing systems, business models and marketing strategies
that will likely prove applicable to other developing countries.
4. India's telecom market is also a minefield. Vendors must not only
understand the market, regulations, and competition: they must learn
the nuances of India's business practices and wireless value chain.
"India's wireless market requires fresh thinking regarding average revenue per user (ARPU), infrastructure design, handset supplies, and digital applications and content," said Chetan Sharma, President of Chetan Sharma Consulting and the report's author. "Increasing rural tele-density is a major piece to the puzzle, and building services around low ARPUs is the solution," he added.
Wireless technologies and WiMAX are paving the way for wireless growth in less-developed countries world wide. With that in mind, let me throw out a question: where do you think wireless/WiMAX will turn up next?
Technorati
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Digg
twitter
