South Africa to Witness First Commercial LTE Deployments in Q2’2012

01 Dec 2011 • by Natalie Aster

A new research study “LTE in the Middle East and Africa: Contracts, Operator Reviews, Spectrum Strategies, Subscriptions, Pricing and Forecasts 2011 - 2015 Q’3 2011 Update” by Signals and Systems Telecom reveals that early commercial launches in South Africa (Vodacom, MTN) are expected before Q2’2012, taking African LTE subscriptions to 0.35 Million by Q4’2012. Egyptian operators are expected to lead the African market in the coming years, with a projected market share of 40.4 % in 2015 with over 4.5 Million subscriptions. Nigeria and South Africa will also retain a considerable chuck of the market, with market shares of 29.3 % and 21.6 % respectively by 2015.

In the neighboring Middle East region, LTE subscriptions are already expected to reach 0.11 Million by the end of Q4’2011, accounting for a 1.7 % market share of 6.6 Million. Driven by three early deployments (STC, Zain, Mobily), Saudi Arabia will lead LTE subscriptions throughout the Middle East region with over 70,000 subscriptions by Q4’2011 and over 0.39 Million by Q4’2012, representing a YoY (Year-over-Year) growth of 457 %. Operators in Saudi Arabia are adopting a variety of pricing strategies such as free LTE trials and mixed 3G/HSPA/LTE bundled price plans to increase early consumer adoption. By 2015, it is estimated that the Middle East will account for 7.49 Million LTE subscriptions, while Africa will account for 11.15 Million subscriptions, representing global market shares of 1.8 % and 2.7 % respectively. While the 2.6 GHz spectrum will lead the African market, the Middle Eastern market will primarily be dominated by the 1800 MHz FDD and 2.3 GHz TDD deployments. Re-farming of the sub-1 GHz spectrum will be critical LTE’s success in both the Middle East and Africa.

Report Details:

LTE in the Middle East and Africa: Contracts, Operator Reviews, Spectrum Strategies, Subscriptions, Pricing and Forecasts 2011 - 2015 Q’3 2011 Update
Published: November 2011
Pages: 75
Price: US$ 800.00

Saudi Arabia and UAE to Lead LTE Subscriptions in the Middle East with Subscriptions Reaching 110,000 in Q4’2011

With commercial LTE launches by all three major incumbents, Saudi Arabia is not only leading the LTE adoption within the Middle East, but it is also pioneering TD-LTE adoption globally by becoming the first country to commercially offer TD-LTE user devices. Driven by early deployments, attractive free trial packages such as those offered by STC Saudi Arabia, bundled 3G/LTE pricing models, and the increasing demand for high-speed mobile broadband access in rural locations, Saudi Arabia will lead LTE subscriptions throughout the region with over 70,000 subscriptions by Q4’2011 and over 0.39 Million by Q4’2012, representing a YoY (Year-over-Year) growth of 457 %. By 2015, Saudi Arabia is expected to account for over 5.44 Million subscriptions representing a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 196.91 %, that is much higher that the worldwide CAGR of LTE adoption at 180% with a total of 410 Million subscriptions.

The UAE is also likely to follow suit, with commercial LTE devices for the Etisalat expected to be launched in December 2011, following a pre-commercial network release in September. Du is also expected to commercial launch its LTE network in due course, leading UAE’s LTE subscriptions to hit 40,000 by Q1’2012. From a spectrum perspective, although the 2.3 GHz TDD spectrum is likely to retain the highest market share, driven by Saudi network deployments. Re-farming of the sub-1 GHz spectrum bands is also expected by 2013, which will make the 1800 MHz the most sought after band.

More information can be found in the report “LTE in the Middle East and Africa: Contracts, Operator Reviews, Spectrum Strategies, Subscriptions, Pricing and Forecasts 2011 - 2015 Q’3 2011 Update” by Signals and Systems Telecom.

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