Category Archives: Analysis

Blog, fixed data usage, mobile data usage, Wi-Fi

Is high mobile data usage cannibalising fixed?

We have published numerous analyses on mobile data usage. The two latest are:

Our readers also know that we follow operator Wi-Fi closely, see e.g. this piece.

At tefficient, we believe that the world is (or is about to become) mobile-first. But it doesn’t mean that the mobile networks will carry most of the traffic. In contrast, as shown in this post based on OpenSignal data, the regular smartphone user is most often more on Wi-Fi than on mobile networks. And when the smartphone is on Wi-Fi, the traffic volume is often higher since fixed broadband users seldom have to worry about data caps. Mobile operating systems are also set up to prefer (or in the case of upgrades, mandate) Wi-Fi. All Wi-Fi traffic ends up on the fixed access network, not on the mobile access network.

We don’t take a side in the tiring conflict between the cellular camp and the Wi-Fi camp and will continue to argue that it’s not cellular or Wi-Fi, it’s cellular and Wi-Fi. It’s not licensed or unlicensed spectrum, it’s licensed and unlicensed.

For this post we have, for the first time, gathered reported fixed data usage stats from regulators and operators globally to try to answer two questions:

  • Are countries with low mobile data usage having higher fixed broadband usage? I.e. is fixed broadband compensating?
  • Are countries with high mobile data usage having lower fixed broadband usage? I.e. is mobile ‘cannibalising’ fixed?

Continue reading Is high mobile data usage cannibalising fixed? →

Analysis, data monetisation, mobile data usage, Wi-Fi

The luxury of the commodity gigabyte

Data usage, traffic and revenue per GB for 111 operators

This is tefficient’s 16th public analysis on the development and drivers of mobile data.

It is an add-on to our just-published analysis “More for more” isn’t happening which compares 33 countries.

In this analysis we compare operators. We have ranked 111 of them based on: Continue reading The luxury of the commodity gigabyte →

4G LTE, Analysis, data monetisation, mobile data usage

“More for more” isn’t happening

Cherish “more for the same” – it’s the best you get

For the 15th time: tefficient’s data usage and revenue analysis

The usage continued to grow in 2016, but the spread in growth rates has never been greater between markets. Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and, surprisingly, USA grew the slowest whereas Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Austria and France grew the fastest. Continue reading “More for more” isn’t happening →

Analysis, CAPEX, Go-to-market, mobile data usage, Predictive analytics, References

Analysis and interviews on CAPEX efficiency and predictive analytics

Analysis and Go-to-market, 2017

Writing a comprehensive analysis on CAPEX efficiency and the use of predictive analytics in mobile network design in cooperation with Omnitele.

The analysis can be downloaded from this page:

http://www.omnitele.com/2017/increasing-precision-network-capex/

Continue reading Analysis and interviews on CAPEX efficiency and predictive analytics →

Blog, Churn, Nonstop retention®, SAC and SRC

2016 was a great year for mobile customer loyalty

The fourth quarter has traditionally been the most difficult for mobile operators in mature markets. Many customers join, but many others are leaving and operators typically dilute margins by having more equipment (and more expensive equipment) in the sales mix compared to the rest of the year.

Subscriber acquisition and retention costs are generally higher in the fourth quarter when the financial discipline of mobile operators is put aside to promote equipment at prices well below the operator purchase costs – as long as existing customers promise to stay or new customers are ready to commit to plans with high monthly fees.

But even though there are temporary setbacks, our industry is gradually moving in a more rational direction: Equipment subsidisation is less frequent today and many operators have stopped binding customers to long, inflexible, contracts. Mobile operators have developed their service offerings and are today capable of explaining why customers should stay – without having to throw in a new iPhone as part of the package. Continue reading 2016 was a great year for mobile customer loyalty →

Churn, Fixed-mobile convergence, FTTx, Go-to-market, Nonstop retention®, References, SAC and SRC, sub-brands, TV

Nonstop Retention benchmark and European quad-play best practice

Analysis and Go-to-market, 2016

Nonstop Retention® benchmark: Calculating and comparing the Nonstop Retention Index for mobile brands (MNOs, sub-brands and main MVNOs) in one specific major European market. Identifying best practice and showing current trends. Recommending propositions and actions to improve customer loyalty per brand.

European quad-play best practice: Fact-based before/after analysis of how the introduction of quad-play propositions changed key business Continue reading Nonstop Retention benchmark and European quad-play best practice →

4G LTE, Analysis, data monetisation, mobile data usage, Wi-Fi

Unlimited pushes data usage to new heights

For the 14th time: tefficient’s famous data usage analysis – now covering 32 countries

The mobile data usage continued to grow in 2016, but the growth rates varied much. Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Hungary grew the slowest whereas Lithuania, Turkey, Austria and Korea grew the fastest.

In Lithuania, Austria and Korea, premium unlimited plans were introduced and the effect on data usage has been similar to what our previous analyses identified for Finland and Latvia.

The data usage top list is dominated by operators that offer unlimited: The world leader had an average usage per SIM of 9.9 GB per month. Continue reading Unlimited pushes data usage to new heights →

Blog, Churn, data monetisation, mobile data usage, Nonstop retention®, References, TV

The battle of 2017: Content ownership vs. unlimited mobile data

welcome-to-nexterday-2

Nexterday North 2016 was an as fantastic experience as the first, inaugural, anti-seminar in 2015. Once again, Comptel managed to bring 550 thinkers and doers from around the world to Helsinki and create great buzz around it.

This year, tefficient wasn’t helping Comptel with a keynote presentation. Instead we prepared and hosted two square table sessions for registered operator representatives only. Continue reading The battle of 2017: Content ownership vs. unlimited mobile data →

4G LTE, Blog, Denmark, mobile data usage, smartphone OSs

TDC’s 4G traffic increased 240% in a year – thanks to these phones

TDC, the market-leading operator in Denmark, has provided us with anonymous data showing the average mobile data usage for the most frequently used phones and tablets.

tdc-oct-2016-usage-per-terminal-tefficient Continue reading TDC’s 4G traffic increased 240% in a year – thanks to these phones →

Blog, FTTx, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK

In fiber, leadership is created with a shovel

Certain European incumbents are betting on that copper access will be sufficient for the future communication needs of households and smaller businesses.

But where most incumbents regard copper-based DSL technologies as a fallback for areas where fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) or fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) deployment isn’t financially feasible (or not yet rolled out), a few seem to be determined that copper is it. Continue reading In fiber, leadership is created with a shovel →