ABI Research: Over Two Billion of World's Population Covered by 3G and 4G Data Services

ABI Research in its latest report announced that there are currently over 500 3G network commitments, and over 300 WiMAX and LTE (News – Alert) announcements worldwide. This equates to more than two billion of the world’s population being covered by high-speed data networks. The demand for speedy data networks continues to rise across the globe.
In a press release, ABI Research (News – Alert) mobile services research practice director, Neil Strother, said, “While many networks in the U.S. and Europe are working towards complete coverage for 3G services, some mobile operators in other regions find themselves tangled up with government bureaucracy, which impedes progress in upgrading the network technology. India has at last concluded its 3G spectrum auction after repeated delays; Thailand’s attempt to catch up with 3G licensing has once again stalled due to reorganization of the telecoms regulator.”
According to ABI Research’s estimates, nearly 82 percent of the population in Western Europe is currently covered by 3G networks, while only about 12 percent of Asia-Pacific’s population has access to 3G services. In addition, network sharing has become more common in a number of mature markets. For example, French mobile operator SFR (News – Alert) will be sharing the rural build-out of its UMTS network with domestic rivals Orange France and Bouygues Telecom. Meanwhile, T-mobile and Orange UK have formed a new joint venture called “Everything Everywhere” in a bid to share costs and spectrum.
ABI research associate, Fei Feng Seet, said, “3G coverage in the Asia-Pacific region is set to rise dramatically in the next few years as Chinese and Indian operators such as China Unicom and Bharti Airtel (News – Alert) begin actively rolling out new data networks.”
ABI Research was in news when the research company announced its opinion that there is still a lot of untapped market in this field. The company stated that as Europe leads the adoption of managed services, Tier One operators in this region are opting for managed services for profitability.
Sujata Garud is a TMCnet freelancer with three years of writing/editing experience and two years of market research experience. As an editor she has covered the IT, electronics, banking, pharma, construction, mining and healthcare industries. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Tammy Wolf
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