Pyramid Research releases top 2014 telecoms predictions

Pyramid Research Predictions 2014: Global and Regional Trends in the Information, Communications and Technology Industry provides key insights into top market trends. “A year ago, we predicted a number of relevant events that did take place in 2013, while missing others; however, relevant milestones we forecasted in 2013 were achieved by the industry, with emerging […]

Pyramid Research Predictions 2014: Global and Regional Trends in the Information, Communications and Technology Industry provides key insights into top market trends. “A year ago, we predicted a number of relevant events that did take place in 2013, while missing others; however, relevant milestones we forecasted in 2013 were achieved by the industry, with emerging markets continuing to drive growth and investment,” says Daniel Amparán, Managing Director at Pyramid Research.
“We anticipate that 2014 will be a year of transformation,” Amparán states. “The introduction of sub-$50 smartphones is one of the most transcendental events we expect will take place in 2014, as mass availability of smartphones will mean empowering underpenetrated populations and bringing them one step closer to the networked economy and its benefits,” he explains.
The report says that globally, over 40% of some 7 billion mobile subscriptions will be on 3G+ networks by year-end 2014; LTE will make up merely 4% of the total. Across emerging markets, Chinese device vendors led by Lenovo will make strong gains outside their home market, disrupting Apple’s and Samsung’s positions in the mid-range and high-end smartphone segments. Also, by the end of 2014, almost one in every three mobile subscriptions in Africa and the Middle East will be on 3G or more advanced networks.
Furthermore, the impact of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil cannot be underestimated; Pyramid expects that this event will give a 15% boost to mobile data revenue in Brazil and that nearly 4 million new pay-TV subscriptions will be added during 2014.