Driven by Broadband, Revenue Growth in New Zealand's Data Market is Expected to Increase to 11% in 2007 and 12% in 2008

Business Wire, Dec 18, 2006

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c47217) has announced the addition of 2007 New Zealand - Mobile and Broadband to their offering.

This report provides a detailed overview, including statistics, forecasts and analysis, of the mobile, Internet, broadband, convergence and broadcasting sectors of the New Zealand telecommunications market.

Key issues covered include:

The New Zealand mobile market is now approaching saturation and mobile subscriber growth will taper off significantly in 2007 and 2008.

During 2006 the trend of ISP consolidation slowed; however moving forward into 2007 and 2008, commoditisation of products is likely to see the speed of ISP consolidation pick up once again.

The long-awaited government policy that will pave the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) was finally introduced in New Zealand in mid-2006.

A growing number of wireless broadband players, including Woosh Wireless and CallPlus are also making some inroads into the market and this trend will continue into 2007.

The progressive introduction of ADSL2 broadband will enable the delivery of new services on top of Telecom's broadband infrastructure.

Services delivered over its NGN in 2007 and 2008 will include VoIP, video calling, converged fixed/mobile offerings, Interactive television and VoD.

Content Outline:

1. MARKET AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

2. KEY STATISTICS

3. MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

4. BROADBAND MARKET

5. INTERNET AND ISP MARKET

6. DATA SERVICES

7. CONVERGENCE - TRIPLE PLAY MODELS

8. BROADCASTING

9. GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS

List of Exhibits

List of Tables

The New Zealand mobile market is now approaching saturation and mobile subscriber growth will taper off significantly in 2007 and 2008. During 2006 the trend of ISP consolidation slowed; however, moving forward into 2007 and 2008, commoditisation of products is likely to see the speed of ISP consolidation pick up once again. The long-awaited government policy that will pave the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) was finally introduced in New Zealand in mid-2006.

A growing number of wireless broadband players, including Woosh Wireless and CallPlus are also making some inroads into the market and this trend will continue into 2007. ADSL2 was the prevailing high-speed broadband technology deployed in New Zealand in late 2006. Broadcasting's ad revenues are gradually being squeezed due to falling audiences and rising costs.

The progressive introduction of ADSL2 broadband will enable the delivery of new services on top of Telecom's broadband infrastructure. Services delivered over its NGN in 2007 and 2008 will include VoIP, video calling, converged fixed/mobile offerings, Interactive television and VoD.

This report provides a detailed overview, including statistics, forecasts and analysis, of the mobile, Internet, broadband, convergence and broadcasting sectors of the New Zealand telecommunications market.

Mobile

The current mobile market is a duopoly of Vodafone New Zealand and Telecom Mobile.

They operate the only cellular networks in the country, although Vodafone has also partnered with TelstraClear to resell its mobile offerings.

Vodafone took the number one spot in mobile subscribers in New Zealand back in 2003 and now holds 55% of the subscriber market.

TelstraClear expects to launch Unplugged, its first high-speed mobile broadband and voice service, by mid-2007.

A fourth player, Econet Wireless New Zealand (EWNZ) was, by late 2006, in the process of rolling out a network.

The New Zealand mobile market is now approaching saturation and mobile subscriber growth will taper off significantly in 2007 and 2008.

Both Telecom and Vodafone launched 3G offerings during 2005, and in September 2006 Vodafone launched its upgraded HSDPA mobile broadband network capable of significantly faster speeds. Telecom plans to launch its upgraded EVDO Revision A network by the end of 2006.

Mobile technologies are not well suited for mobile data beyond certain niche markets. While these networks can handle high-speed data, it is unlikely that this will be able to be achieved at prices low enough to penetrate the mass market.

Broadband, Internet and data

During 2006 the trend of ISP consolidation slowed; however, moving forward into 2007 and 2008, commoditisation of products is likely to see the speed of ISP consolidation pick up once again.

The ISP market is expected to further consolidate beyond 2006, as more ISPs will financially struggle to survive.

A growing number of wireless broadband players, including Woosh Wireless and CallPlus are also making some inroads into the market and this trend will continue into 2007.

In August 2006 Orcon was preparing to deploy a high-speed broadband ADSL2 network that will feature IPTV services.

Wireless broadband remains very much a niche medium in New Zealand with usage restricted principally to regional areas outside the coverage of fixed ADSL and cable services.

New Zealand's data market continues to outpace other market segment in terms of growth and market share.