In the global communications industry, 2014 will be a year of transformation, increased competition and innovation, particularly around mobile broadband and media, according to a new report from Pyramid Research that offers the firm's top 14 predictions for 2014. The complimentary report is available now.
Pyramid Research Predictions 2014: Global and Regional Trends in the Information, Communications and Technology Industry provides key insights into top market trends, written by Pyramid's worldwide team of research analysts and consultants. Each prediction is supported by fact-based analysis and has been arrived at through extensive discussions among our analysts and experts. The introduction, written by Pyramid's Managing Director, Daniel Amparán, also reviews the firm's 2013 predictions and how they matched up to actual events. Register to download the full report.
"A year ago, we predicted a number of relevant events that did take place in 2013, while missing others; however, relevant milestones we forecasted in 2013 were achieved by the industry, with emerging markets continuing to drive growth and investment," says Daniel Amparán, Managing Director at Pyramid Research.
"We anticipate that 2014 will be a year of transformation," Amparán states. "The introduction of sub-$50 smartphones is one of the most transcendental events we expect will take place in 2014, as mass availability of smartphones will mean empowering underpenetrated populations and bringing them one step closer to the networked economy and its benefits," he explains.
This new report includes other important predictions for 2014. Globally, over 40% of some 7bn mobile subscriptions will be on 3G+ networks by year-end 2014; LTE will make up merely 4% of the total. Across emerging markets, Chinese device vendors led by Lenovo will make strong gains outside their home market, disrupting Apple's and Samsung's positions in the mid-range and high-end smartphone segments. Also, by the end of 2014, almost one in every three mobile subscriptions in Africa and the Middle East will be on 3G or more advanced networks. Furthermore, the impact of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil cannot be underestimated; Pyramid expects that this event will give a 15% boost to mobile data revenue in Brazil and that nearly 4m new pay-TV subscriptions will be added during 2014.
"Pyramid Research is the only firm in the industry with a heritage of more than 25 years in emerging markets. We are proud to be considered the partner of choice of industry leaders in the converged global communications, media and technology industries, and look forward to sharing our top predictions for this exciting year ahead," says Amparán.
