| IDC CEMA Telecommunications Newsletter | June 2008 |
| IDC CEMA (Central & Eastern Europe and Middle East & Africa) http://www.idc-cema.com/ |
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| Continuous Information and Database Services Enhance business with high-impact intelligence |
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Feature story
IDC-MEA's Telecommunications department has been following the broadband Internet developments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which have gathered significant momentum over the last year. The six GCC countries of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar not only represent some of the world's wealthiest economies but also some of the fastest growing broadband markets. Even given the torrid growth, much opportunity remains: In 2007, GCC broadband connections increased by almost 100% to cross the one million mark, while per capita broadband penetration doubled from 1.6% in 2006 to 3.2%.
IDC Press Center
The worldwide mobile phone market experienced an expected sequential downturn in shipments following a busy holiday quarter. According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 291.6 million units during the first quarter of 2008 (1Q08), down 11.6% from the 330.8 million units shipped during the previous quarter (4Q07) and up 14.3% from the 255.0 million units shipped during 1Q07. While the first quarter results are in line with IDC's 2008 forecast, concerns over the economy may negatively impact handset purchases as the year progresses.
The NZ Institute's analysis of New Zealand's need for fibre to the home will generate much-needed debate in New Zealand about the role of broadband in New Zealand's economic future, according to IDC.
IDC's survey revealed that 58% of the enterprises currently equipped with traditional PBX and key telephone systems want to replace them in 1-2 years. These enterprises will provide an up-sell opportunity for Unified Communications vendors and their partners.
With talk of recession dominating business discussions in the United States and worldwide, senior IT executives in the U.S. are already feeling a negative effect on their budgets for new projects in 2008. The impact of a slowing economy was confirmed in recent IDC interviews with 27 CIOs and senior IT leaders.
As more and more small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are taking advantage of the Internet to improve internal efficiency and external reach, a number of technology providers have been refining their offerings to help them to get online, sell online, and market online, as well as manage and monitor online business activity. Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! are the leading companies that SMBs turn to for Internet resources, with more variation in SMB preferences by vertical industry than by company size, a new IDC report finds. These technology providers are appealing to SMBs in different ways with different offerings.
CEMA Communications Studies
This IDC Study looks at three varieties of fixed-mobile convergence - PBX extensions, femtocells, and dual-mode handsets - and their applications in Middle Eastern and African markets. Regulatory barriers and a focus on core services have meant that FMC has made little headway in these regions to date, but as markets mature, fixed-mobile convergence, fixed-mobile substitution, and product bundling will be the tools carriers use to create competitive advantage.
This IDC Study looks at three varieties of fixed-mobile convergence - PBX extensions, femtocells, and dual-mode handsets - and their applications in Central and Eastern European markets. Regulatory barriers and a focus on core services have meant that FMC has made little headway in these regions to date, but as markets mature, fixed-mobile convergence, fixed-mobile substitution, and product bundling will be the tools carriers use to create competitive advantage.
Upcoming IDC Communications Events
Local Conference, Jun 10, 2008, Milan, Italy
Conference, Jun 10, 2008, New York, NY United States
Local Conference, Jun 11, 2008, Paris, France
Local Conference, Jun 12, 2008, Paris, France
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