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Telecoms Pricing highlights the changes in Mobile services worldwide since the start of 2018 – thanks to the TCL Tariff SnapShot subscription service

Published: Tue 13 November 2018

Telecoms Pricing, a specialist in telecoms research worldwide, reviews the key topics and trends in mobile services with the publication of its 20 SnapShot edition – looking at the mobile trends worldwide since the start of 2018.

At the end of 2017, Telecoms Pricing forecast the key mobile trends to impact mobile services in 2018, with the 10 key trends identified for the coming year summarized in the table below –

A table showing the Telecoms Pricing Forecast for 2018 – as Telecoms Pricing viewed it end of 2017

Forecast Trend Number	Trend Description
Trend No. 1	Will international roaming rates decline to national rates as in Europe?
Trend No. 2	Will integrated bundles (calls, SMS & Mobile Data) become established outside Europe?
Trend No. 3	New types of smartphone deposit & usage in developing markets, similar to the Jio Phone
Trend No. 4	4G LTE price levels will continue to decline over time
Trend No. 5	Mobile operators are starting to add content bundles
Trend No. 6	Mobile Data bundles are being used as the main determinant of pricing
Trend No. 7	Increased Pre Pay and Post Pay bundle convergence
Trend No. 8	Special MNO services and promotions for online users
Trend No. 9	Self-provision apps are being introduced by the MNO
Trend No. 10	Are MNOs to use other content services as a differentiator

Most of the mobile trends identified in 2018 are an evolution of existing trends.

For example, within Europe roaming has come into line with national pricing, with bundles of mobile data roaming now being added on selected routes (including the US, Canada & other destinations) as part of a Post Pay bundle.
For forecast Trend No.2, Integrated bundles (including calls, SMS & mobile data) are becoming more commonplace outside of Europe & North America, with examples of new bundles being launched in the Asia Pacific region with large mobile data allowances.
Forecast Trend No. 3 - the introduction of innovative low cost handset financing models (following the example of India’s JioPhone) - has been slower to emerge. In SnapShot 107 & SnapShot 118, Telecoms Pricing examined the Smartphone promotions being made by MNOs to coincide with the Samsung Galaxy 9 & Apple iPhone XR devices. It discovered that a variety of financing models are now being used to support the premium Smartphone segment. MNOs are resorting back to handset subsidies based on 24, 30 or 36 month contract terms to spread the device purchase cost.
In forecast Trend No. 4, Telecom Pricing forecast that LTE Pricing levels would continue to decline. Evidence is mixed, as MNOs are off-setting the decline in pricing by adding additional mobile data allowances in order to retain a particular price point. A bundle of up to 100 GB of data is becoming more common worldwide as a premium bundle.
As for forecast Trend No. 5, content bundles (including TV, film, social networking or music) are being provided by selected MNOs either as a short-term promotion or as a long-term premium bundle – but the adoption remains limited to a few MNOs only and has not yet become a mass market trend.
And in forecast Trend No.6, Telecoms Pricing predicted that Mobile Data bundles would become the key differentiator between MNO packages - as unlimited calls and SMS becoming ubiquitous – which leaves mobile data allowances as the key package differentiator.

For forecast Trend No.7, Telecoms Pricing commented on the similarity between Pre Pay & Post Pay bundles - both offering integrated bundles of calls, SMS & mobile data. In some markets , such as France, Post Pay usage bundles are offered on a 30 day rolling contract without a long term commitment – with Pre Pay usage declining as a result.

For forecast Trends No.8 & No.9, Telecoms Pricing found that MNOs around the world offer mobile services geared to an online channel with service selection also being made through an online portal as a cost saving measure.
Finally, in forecast Trend No.10, Telecoms Pricing posed the question as to whether MNOs were serious about embarking on a path to use content as a service differentiator. During 2018 the ground was set for the greater use of content by the Telecoms Provider with the acquisition of TimeWarner by AT&T, with AT&T starting to bundle TV content with selected mobile plans shown in SnapShot 118.

Throughout 2018, Telecoms Pricing has published SnapShots on a range of issues including the introduction of MNO sub-brands, and the transformation of the telecom marketplace in Italy with the launch of Iliad Italy, the low-cost mobile brand. It has also looked at the new trends in fixed & mobile convergence (with home use being bundled with mobile) and the disruptive impact of the Reliance Jio mobile service in India – with large increases in mobile data allowances for low rates.

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Notes to editors:

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About the Telecoms Pricing SnapShot Subscription Service – The Telecoms Pricing SnapShot Subscription Service provides a unique analytical overview of a contemporary mobile telecoms topic, which is published in an easy to use PowerPoint format some 20 times a year. The Telecoms Pricing SnapShot Subscription Service costs GBP £245 per single edition or GBP £1,495 for a yearly subscription (of 20 editions). Further information about the Telecoms Pricing is found at the Tariff Consultancy online shop at: http://www.telecomspricing.com/department.cfm?dept=27

The wide range of Telecoms Pricing SnapShot subscription topics that have been published during 2018 are shown in the table below.

A table showing the Telecoms Pricing SnapShot topics published during 2018

Tariff Trends SnapShot 100 - The Main Trends over 100 SnapShots

Tariff Trends Snapshot 101 - The launch of low cost smartphones in emerging markets

Tariff Trends SnapShot 102 - Premium smartphone bundles

Tariff Trends SnapShot 103 - Key mobile trends for 2018

Tariff Trends SnapShot 104 - Evolution of Zero based content services

Tariff Trends SnapShot 105 -Trends in mobile music and video services

Tariff Trends SnapShot 106 - Key changes in the Indian mobile landscape

Tariff Trends SnapShot 107 - Samsung Galaxy 9 smartphone launch

Tariff Trends SnapShot 108 - French mobile market trends

Tariff Trends SnapShot 109 - The Path to 5G pricing and services

Tariff Trends SnapShot 110 - The Italian mobile landscape before Ilad 4^th operator enters the market

Tariff Trends SnapShot 111 - Fixed Mobile Convergence Trends

Tariff Trends SnapShot 112 - The introduction of WiFi in the Sky

Tariff Trends SnapShot 113 - Evolution of data roaming

Tariff Trends SnapShot 114 - Sub-brand launches in Europe and beyond

Tariff Trends SnapShot 115 - Pricing around the USD 30/Euro 30/GBP 30 mark for Postpaid plans

Tariff Trends SnapShot 116 - AT&T and Time Warner content bundling

Tariff Trends SnapShot 117 - 1 Gybte pricing across the globe

Tariff Trends SnapShot 118 - Apple iPhone X pricing on launch

Tariff Trends SnapShot 119 - Out of allowance pricing for data

About Telecoms Pricing – Telecoms Pricing is the brand given to the telecoms research and consultancy business line of Tariff Consultancy Ltd (TCL), a London-based international telecoms research company provides a range of Telecoms Tracker services on 3G & 4G LTE broadband services, Smartphones and mobile roaming services. It provides consultancy services to operators, regulators and consultancies worldwide. Further information about Telecoms Pricing is found on the Telecoms Pricing website at: www.telecomspricing.com