2013-03-01 16:41:59 - Recently published research from Business Monitor International, "Pakistan Telecommunications Report Q2 2013", is now available at Fast Market Research

BMI View: Pakistan's telecommunications market is one of the most underdeveloped in Asia Pacific. At the end of 2011, Pakistan had the region's second lowest mobile penetration rate, a situation that is also similar in the fixed-line and broadband sectors. Additionally, the regulator has yet to auction 3G licences, leaving mobile operators dependent on basic 2G voice and SMS as well as organic subscriber growth for revenue generation. This leaves Pakistan with significant room for growth, although the potential could materialise only in the medium-to-long term.

Key Data:

* Pakistan's mobile sector recovered from a disappointing Q312, and we expect the market to continue on its long-term growth trajectory in light of the relatively low mobile penetration rate.
* Mobile broadband

solutions, particularly EV-DO, continued to outperform and should overtake DSL in the next few years. The overall mobile broadband industry could receive further boost if the regulator manages to auction 3G licences.
* Operators' ARPUs are expected to continue trending downwards due to the reliance on 2G services and rural expansions.


Full Report Details at
- www.fastmr.com/prod/541257_pakistan_telecommunications_report_q2 ..


Key Trends And Developments

At the time of writing, the Pakistani government has yet to announce a concrete date for the auction of 3G licences. A pre-bid conference for the selection of an international consultant to facilitate the auction occurred in September 2012. However, the hiring of the consultants was deemed to be illegal and in violation of the telecoms laws and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority's rules.

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has agreed to sell its 30% stake in Warid Telecom after a strategic review revealed that it was unlikely to improve its current competitive position and exploit future opportunities in this crowded market. Abu Dhabi Group, which owns the remaining 70% of the business, will buy the stake for US$150mn, well below the US$758mn SingTel paid for the equity in 2007.

Zong intends to acquire Callmate's defunct licence from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. The acquisition of this licence will enable the firm to offer different telephony services such as a long-distance international (LDI) operator. The federal Cabinet Committee and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication have granted approval to the firm to obtain the licence, Zong's Chief Commercial Officer Sajid Mehmood said. The firm has sought to secure the licence since its launch in 2008. However, the licence has not been issued to the operator because of a binding commercial contract between the government of Pakistan and the UAE.

Pakistan remains in 14th position in BMI's Asia Pacific Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings with a Telecoms Rating score of 46.0. Economic data coming out of Pakistan paint a relatively encouraging picture, with the economy looking poised to record a faster rate of growth this fiscal year (FY2012/13, July-June), in line with our expectations. Underpinning the recent improvement in numbers and its likely continuation in the quarters ahead is the easing of key economic strains such as the high cost of credit and the energy shortage. While these headwinds have somewhat receded, it does not mean that they have been fully resolved. Therefore, we are happy to keep our full-year real GDP forecast of 4.0%, just below the government's 4.3% target.

Partial Table of Contents:

BMI Industry View
SWOT
- Mobile SWOT
- Wireline SWOT
- Business Environment
- Economic
- Political
Industry Forecast
- Mobile
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Mobile - Historical Data And Forecasts
- ARPU
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Mobile ARPU - Historical Data And Forecasts
- Fixed Line
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Fixed Line - Historical Data And Forecasts
- Broadband
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Broadband - Historical Data And Forecasts
Industry Risk Reward Ratings
- Asia Pacific Risk/Reward Ratings
- Table: Asia Pacific Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings Q2 2013
- Pakistan
Market Overview
- Mobile
- Regional Perspective
- Table: Pakistan Mobile Market Regional Comparison, 2012
- Key Market Developments
- Market Growth
- Market Shares
- Table: Mobile Base Stations By Operator
- Usage
- Networks
- Mobile Content
- Table: Selected VAS
- Mobile Operator Data
- Table: Pakistan Mobile Overview
- Table: Mobilink
- Table: Telenor Pakistan
- Table: Ufone
- Table: Zong Telecom
- Table: Warid Telecom
- Asia Pacific Mobile Content
- Fixed Line
- Table: Pakistan Fixed-Line Market, December 2011
- Wireless Local Loop (WLL)
- Table: Pakistan WLL Market, September 2012
- Table: Pakistan WLL Sites By Operators
- Broadband
- Broadband Technologies
Industry Trends And Developments
- Table: Telecoms Market Developments
Regulatory Development
- Table: Pakistan's Regulatory Bodies And Their Responsibilities
Competitive Landscape
- Table: Key Companies
Company Profile
- Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited
- Mobilink
- Telenor Pakistan
- Warid Telecom
- TeleCard
Regional Overview
- Vendor Profile
- Table: ZTE Product Portfolio
- Financial Performance
- Table: Major Telecoms Equipment Vendor Revenue (US$mn)
- Moving Beyond Key Markets
- Table: ZTE Asia Developments
Demographic Forecast
- Table: Pakistan's Population By Age Group, 1990-2020 ('000)
- Table: Pakistan's Population By Age Group, 1990-2020 (% of total)
- Table: Pakistan's Key Population Ratios, 1990-2020
- Table: Pakistan's Rural And Urban Population, 1990-2020
Glossary

Full Table of Contents is available at:
-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=541257&dt=t

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets. BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports. Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports. View more research from Business Monitor International at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.