European telecom service providers will invest EUR 170 billion or $209 billion on Capex (Capital spending) over the next six years between 2015 and 2020, focusing on adding mobile network capacity and expanding 4G coverage.
European operators invested EUR 155 billion or $190 billion in the seven-year period between 2008 and 2014, said GSMA.
Europe will have 431 million mobile subscribers by year-end, representing 79 percent of the region’s population. Mobile subscribers will increase to 454 million by 2020, an 82 percent penetration rate.
The number of mobile connections, excluding M2M, will rise to 762 million by 2020 from 688 million now.
4G will account for 53 percent of mobile connections in Europe by 2020 against 5 percent at the start of 2014 and 10 percent at the start of 2015.
4G LTE networks cover 63 percent of the European population. LTE networks surpassed 50 percent earlier this year. 4G networks will be accessible by 83 per cent of the European population by 2020, said GSMA.
Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, said: “Europe’s mobile operators are embracing new technologies and new business models, leading innovation in areas such as M2M, digital commerce, mobile identity and advanced network services.
Smartphones are set to account for more than half of the region’s mobile connections by the end of 2015 – a milestone that has already been reached in several major individual markets, including France, Italy, Spain and the UK. There will be 564 million smartphones connections in Europe by 2020, accounting for almost three quarters of total connections.
editor@telecomlead.com
