Germany Has Europe's Largest Telecom Market Worth an Estimated EUR 69 Billion.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c49355) has announced the addition of 2006-2007 Western European Telecoms Markets and Statistics to their offering.

This annual report offers the latest data, statistics and analysis on the telecoms markets in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Subjects include:

* National and European Union Regulatory Issues;

* Telecom Market Liberalisation;

* National and International Infrastructure;

* Network Operators - Strategies and Market Analysis;

* Local Loop Unbundling - Status and Policies;

* Carrier Preselection and Number Portability;

* National Competitive Environments;

* Incumbent Market Shares - Strategic Assessments.

Topics Covered

 1. Overview of Western Europe's Telecoms Markets and Statistics
 2. Austria
 3. Belgium
 4. Denmark
 5. Finland
 6. France
 7. Germany
 8. Iceland
 9. Ireland
10. Italy
11. Luxembourg
12. Malta
13. Netherlands
14. Norway
15. Portugal
16. Spain
17. Sweden
18. Switzerland
19. United Kingdom
20. Glossary of Abbreviations

List of Exhibits
List of Tables

Summary

This Europe market report covers the region's telecom market in 2006. The market grew steadily on the back of strong underlying economic performances, and greater market and consumer confidence. The inexorable decline in fixed voice revenue has shifted operator focus to revenue-rich sectors such as mobile data and to content delivered over upgraded IP networks. These services, including Video-on-Demand and IPTV, are nascent in most markets, but promise considerable growth in 2007 and 2008 as consumers gain a greater understanding of the concepts and as broadband infrastructure to carry the services is expanded. In most markets, mobile telephony and broadband remain the drivers fuelling the more positive outlook in Europe's telecom landscape. This was reflected in the massive investments during 2006 in ADSL2+ and fibre roll-outs, and in new mobile technologies such as HSDPA, which is commercially available in 24 of the 27 EU countries. Consumer-driven content and further refinement in business models focussed on fixed-cost mobile broadband plans are likely winners in coming years. Other key developments expected in 2007 include the further progress towards Next Generation Networks (NGN), moving infrastructure to an IP packet-based, full service typology. The principal innovators in this sector - British Telecom, KPN, France Telcom and Deutsche Telekom - have set the pace and will alter the face of the industry by the end of the decade. In addition, many of the major players having consolidated businesses to strengthen their positions in the face of increased competition will begin to launch additional services (such as Vodafone with broadband), capitalising on growth areas in other sectors and further contributing to the convergence of technologies. The report presents the latest statistics for Europe's telecom market in 2006, together with an assessment of regulatory provisions in the broadband and fixed-line sectors on the national and European level, including proposed amendments to the New Regulatory Framework in 2007. It also provides an overview of principal operators, and their strategies for gaining market share in 2007 and beyond. The report also analyses emerging trends and expected growth sectors developing in coming years, providing the background to assess how this important market will progress to the end of the decade. The report includes the following markets, among others:

Germany

Germany has Europe's largest population and largest telecom market, worth an estimated [euro]69 billion in 2006. Much of this revenue has been generated by alternative operators as they continue to slice away at the market share of a struggling Deutsche Telekom: the number of fixed telephony customers served by alternative operators reached about 28 million by the end of 2006 while a growing number of independent municipal networks have stripped the incumbent of much needed line rental income. The outlook for 2007 is less positive than in former years, with data services and mobile telephony likely to outgrow the fixed-line telephony sector by 9%, but lacking sufficient growth to prevent a stagnant market which may show zero growth in 2007. Broadband take-up has increased well in recent years, with competitors accounting for about 45% of the DSL market in 2006. Further growth in 2007 and 2008 may be affected by the Bundesrat having granted Deutsche Telekom a regulatory holiday for its VDSL network, as competitors are denied wholesale access - unless EC intervention enforces it during 2007 - and so lose commercial viability to build alternative networks. Nevertheless, consolidation in the cable sector has resulted in increased investment in network upgrades, providing a realistic alternative to the dominance of Deutsche Telekom.

The UK

The UK's valuable communications sector is expected to see relatively modest and stable revenue growth to 2010, with falling fixed-line voice call volume being offset by higher usage of mobile voice calls and increased data traffic. Overall, the volume of telecoms traffic will grow to 2010 but price erosion in all markets, caused by competition more than regulatory intervention, will keep revenue growth at modest levels. The focus has shifted from fixed-line voice services to the mobile and triple play sectors. BT's Openreach was an important innovation in 2006 which has resulted in more accessible broadband and influenced plans for structural separation elsewhere in Europe. Competitive pressures will be intense in 2007, with operators struggling to build and retain market share. The degree of consolidation is likely to vary across the main market segments: the mobile market is effectively controlled by five main operators, whereas the fixed-line market is fragmented, albeit dominated by BT. Convergence between mobile and fixed-line services is also expected to be an important component in the market, with companies such as BT developing hybrid fixed-line and mobile handsets and services, while Vodafone has branched into broadband using BT's lines. In coming years the UK's telecom landscape will be transformed by BT's 21CN all-IP network, foreshadowing similar if less ambitious developments elsewhere in Europe.

Companies Mentioned

- AR Telecom - BaneTele - Belgacom - British Telecom - BT Global Services - BT Ireland - BT Italia - Cable & Wireless - Carphone Warehouse - Cegecom - COLT Telecom - COLT Telecom NV - Comunitel - debitel - Deutsche Telekom - eircom - Elisa Corporation - Energis - eTel Austria - Finnet Group - France Telecom - Glocalnet (Telenor) - Iceland Telecom (Siminn) - Jazztel - Kingston Communications - Maltacom- Mannesmann Arcor - mobilcom - Mobistar - neuf Cegetel - Novis - ntl - Og Vodafone - Oni - ONO - Orange - P&T Luxembourg - Portugal Telecom - Scarlet (formerly KPN Belgium) - Smart Telecom - Sonaecom - Sonofon - Swisscom - TDC - TDC Song - TDC Switzerland (Sunrise) - Tele 2 - tele.ring - Tele2 - Tele2 Denmark - Tele2UTA - Telecom Italia - Telefonica - Telekom Austria - Telenet - Telenor - Telenordia - Telewest - TeliaSonera - TeliaSonera Denmark - The Auna Group - THUS - United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) - Versatel Telecom - Wind

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