The global telecoms sector in 2016 will see continued focus on the underlying trends of M2M, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing and the over-arching Internet of Things. Telcos generally will focus more heavily on customer retention and churn in the face of dwindling revenues, while also improving mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure for the future. 4G LTE deployment is a key trend around much of the world and in appropriate markets there is also a keen investment in fixed broadband based on fibre. Over 140 countries now have a National Broadband Network (NBN) policy or plan.

Many of the operators in the emerging markets will focus primarily on mobile infrastructure with lower priced smart phones becoming a dominant trend. Mobile broadband infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in the emerging markets of Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, as the large populations place more and more demand on existing infrastructure.

The analysis provides a summary of key trends for the global telecoms sector as well as an overview of developments at a regional level. This valuable analysis also includes recent key statistics for the overall global telecoms industry as well as statistics for the mobile, mobile broadband, Internet, satellite and fixed broadband sectors. It also includes a ranking of the top telcos (2014) as well as global telecoms and mobile CAPEX and revenue.

In 2016 Africa continues to see strong growth in mobile broadband use and data traffic, the result of several factors which are providing a beneficial environment for investment and customer take-up of services. Mobile network operators in Latin America are gearing up for further investment in network infrastructure in 2016 as customer demand for mobile data reaches new heights. With some 3.6 billion people across Asia using mobile phones; the region is already rapidly advancing in its exploiting of mobile data/wireless broadband services. In the developed markets like the US, mobile subscriber growth has slowed due to high penetration levels but mobile data use remains strong, in line with the fast development of LTE networks and the high take-up of smartphones. The European mobile market also has reached such high penetration levels that there is little room for further growth in the voice sector. The European broadband market is also being transformed by emerging technologies.