US Market Has Room for Mobile Subscriber Growth, GSMA Says
The North American region is outperforming the rest of the world in the mobile economy, but carriers here need to be sure they maintain their dominance, GSMA said in a report released Tuesday. “The region has seen substantial subscriber growth,…
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early adoption of new technologies (such as smartphones and 4G/LTE) and strong revenue trends,” GSMA said. “The region continues to lead innovation in all areas of the mobile ecosystem, including hardware, access technologies, operating systems and new apps and services that are scaling rapidly and changing how individuals live and work.” The U.S. market could see more growth in the number of subscribers, GSMA said. The North American region had more than 250 million unique subscribers in Q2, equivalent to a penetration rate of 70 percent, GSMA said. That's below the developed market average of 79 percent, “which is closer to the level at which subscriber growth tends to stall in developed markets,” the report said. Penetration in Canada trails the U.S. and offers even more room for growth, the association said. GSMA also took a shot at the FCC for its February net neutrality rules. “There remains considerable uncertainty as to the impact that the ruling will have on the development of new services and applications, particularly in the area of the Internet of Things,” GSMA said. Some services “may require a degree of network prioritization,” while many continue to argue the order will mean less network investment, the group said.