Finland Telecommunications Report Q3 2012 - New Study Released

New Fixed Networks market report from Business Monitor International: "Finland Telecommunications Report Q3 2012"

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 15 October 2012

BMI's Finland Telecommunications Market Report update for Q312 analyses the latest trends and developments in the country's mobile, fixed-line, broadband and pay-TV markets. It draws on operator data for all four markets, covering the period to the end of March 2012. It also draws on the latest data from the regulator, FICORA, which covers the mobile, fixed-line and broadband markets for 2011. The report also contains news and analysis of product and regulatory developments impacting the market.

Finland's telecommunications market is highly developed with high penetration rates and strong competition between operators and different technologies. As in markets across Western Europe, operators are facing the challenge of revenue erosion from a number of regulatory factors in the context of limited subscriber acquisition opportunities. Mobile operators' revenue declined as a result of price competition, while cuts to mobile termination rates have also contributed, with cuts in December 2011 and further cuts scheduled for December 2012.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/451261_finland_telecommunications_report_q3_2012.aspx) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/451261_finland_telecommunications_report_q3_2012.aspx)

Meanwhile, wireline operators are facing intense competition from mobile broadband services, leading to slowing growth rates. This threat is set to intensify with the acceleration of the 800MHz spectrum auction process announced in April 2012 - spectrum that is allocated to 4G networks - with the auction in early 2013. The ministry's goal is to see 4G networks available to everyone in mainland Finland by 2019. Sub- 1GHz spectrum is more cost-effective to cover rural areas compared to the 2.6GHz spectrum operators are currently using for 4G LTE services, primarily in the largest urban areas. The ministry estimates that a single 800MHz bas station can cover a geographical area five times larger than a 2.6GHz base station.

On the basis of operator data covering Q112 for the mobile, fixed-line and broadband market, and regulatory data for 2011, BMI has made some minor revisions to our five-year forecasts to 2016. We have downgraded our forecast for the mobile market on the basis of lower than expected growth in Q112 and the impact of macroeconomic conditions, largely stemming from the eurozone crisis. Meanwhile, our ARPU forecast remains unchanged, with the December 2011 and December 2012 cuts to mobile termination rates already factored into our forecast.

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