Iraq: 3G Rollout to Drive Telecom Market

Summary Pyramid Research estimates that total telecom services revenue in Iraq will be $4.4bn in 2015. Over the next five years, we expect Iraqs total market revenue to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% to reach $5.1bn in 2020. The Iraqi market is smaller than other regional markets such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt, primarily due to ongoing civil unrest restricting development. Service revenue growth over the next five years will be driven primarily by mobile services, which will be buoyed by the launch of 3G services in 2015. However, growth will be hampered by security issues and a volatile domestic situation Key Findings - Pyramid Research expects total telecom revenue to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% during 2015-2020 to reach $5.1bn in 2020. Although growth will be hampered in the short term by the ongoing civil unrest in Iraq, the launch of 3G services will drive growth over the forecast period as demand for mobile data increases and operators invest in upgrading their network infrastructure. - The top two operators, Zain and Asiacell, which provide mobile voice and data services, will account for 67.5% of total telecom service revenue in 2015. Despite the civil unrest, mobile operators are launching new tariffs and bundled offers to attract subscribers to their recently launched 3G services. - Over the next five years, operators should seize opportunities related to rising demand for mobile data services by offering localized mobile content such as applications, music and videos. Network vendors should position themselves to support operators network upgrades and expansions. Smartphone vendors also have an opportunity to tap into a growing mobile subscriber base. However, investors should be wary of the risks to their investments due to the ongoing civil unrest in Iraq. Synopsis Iraq: 3G Rollout to Drive Telecom Market” provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Iraq today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2020. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into the telecom market of Iraq, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases. It provides in-depth analysis of the following: - Iraq in a regional context: a comparative review of market size and trends with that of other countries in the region. - Economic, demographic and political context in Iraq. - The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans and more. - A demand profile: analysis, forecasts and historical figures of service revenue from fixed telephony, broadband, and mobile services. - Service evolution: a look at the change in the breakdown of overall revenue by fixed and mobile sectors and by voice and data in the current year as well as the end of the forecast period. - An in-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony and broadband services, and mobile services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends and service revenue through the end of the forecast period. - Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in the telecommunications market in Iraq. Reasons To Buy - Provides an overview of the Iraqi telecoms market through a combination of quantitative and qualitative insights. The graphical information consists of more than 20 charts and tables derived from Pyramid Researchs forecast products. - Build profitable growth strategies by leveraging the analysis, which includes an examination of current player strategies and the future trends of the Iraqi telecommunications market. - Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Iraqs mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider mobile market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customer demand. - Gain insights on key telecom players in the market and their strategies to grow market share. - Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet customer requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Iraq.