According to the new report from Juniper Research titled “Mobile Africa & Middle East: Opportunities, Markets & Forecasts 2008-2013,” operator-billed service revenues across the Africa and Middle East region will rise to more than $107 billion in 2013.
Juniper argues that growth will be driven by mobile data services, fuelled by the greater availability and wider variety of rich-media content coupled with lower browsing costs. At the same time, voice revenues will peak in 2011 and would subsequently fall away due to increasingly competitive pricing in the sector.
Furthermore, the report also observed that the region was likely to witness a surge in the growth of mobile financial services, with such initiatives as M-PESA and mobile banking providers such as WIZZIT having already gained substantial user bases.
Other findings from the report include:
- The Middle East/Africa mobile user base is to grow at an average annual rate of 10.5% between 2008 and 2013.
- Mobile data services are expected to contribute 24% of operator-billed service revenues in 2013, against just 9% in 2008.
- Saudi Arabia and Nigeria will provide the largest share of cumulative regional revenues over the forecast period.
More information is available on Juniper Research’s website.