NZers spend more on mobile than landlines and broadband combined
The fourth quarter marked the first quarter that mobile voice calls accounted for less than 50% of all mobile revenues.
New Zealand households and businesses spent more on their mobiles than they did on both fixed voice and broadband combined in 2011.
Mobile revenues grew 10% over 2010, outstripping growth in fixed broadband of 4% and countering a decline in fixed voice of -5% over the same period, according to IDC's latest Telecommunications tracker for the final three months of 2011.
The fourth quarter marked the first quarter that mobile voice calls accounted for less than 50% of all mobile revenues as mobile data use accelerated.
"This is a significant point in the market's development that is being driven by affordable smartphones, better value from all mobile companies and more being done on mobile screens," IDC senior analyst Glen Saunders said.
"2011 was a year marked by significant industry change which has set the scene for even more rapid and complex developments that will impact customer mobile purchasing decisions and usage over the next 12 – 18 months. As we enter the UFB world the role of mobile will change and IDC is expecting convergence of the fixed and mobile worlds to be the result," IDC senior analyst Glen Saunders said.
As operators attempt to move with the shifting market, competition is increasing in the mobile space, helping to fuel further growth with a greater variety of bundles and devices for end-users.
During 2011 2degrees continued make inroads into its competitors customer base gaining market share in terms of connections, while both Vodafone and Telecom recorded a decline.
However, to date 2degrees growth has largely been confined to the lower revenue, pre-paid market, as gains in connection share have been significantly stronger than gains in revenue; as seen in the figure below.
NBR staff
Thu, 05 Apr 2012
Thu, 05 Apr 2012
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NZers spend more on mobile than landlines and broadband combined
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