ABI Research Forecasts Global GSM Subscriber Growth Rate to Slow in 2008

SINGAPORE--(Business Wire)--
ABI Research forecasts global GSM subscriber growth to slow from a
year-on-year rate of over 22% in 2006/07 to 14% in 2008/09, mainly due
to the increased migration of subscribers to UMTS 3G technologies.
UMTS (including HSDPA) experienced a nearly 83% year-on-year growth
rate in 2006/07. ABI Research expects global GSM subscriber numbers to
show a negative growth rate starting in 2013, as by then GSM will
become less attractive compared to the cheaper 3G services; there will
also be losses due to the proliferation of mobile WiMAX and 4G
networks.

"Within the GSM subscriber population, EDGE is expected to
maintain a high growth rate following increased deployments in
emerging markets," says Asia-Pacific vice president Jake Saunders.
"Nonetheless, GSM (including EDGE and GPRS) is still expected to have
the highest number of subscribers of all mobile technologies, with a
70% global market share in 2013 (dropping from 78% in 2007.)"

Meanwhile the W-CDMA (including HSDPA and HSPA) global market
share is expected to increase from a little over 5% in 2007 to nearly
14% in 2013.

The CDMAone and iDEN subscriber bases, on the other hand, have
been diminishing quickly in the last five years, and by 2010 most
subscribers to these technologies will have migrated to either GSM or
CDMA2000 networks. CDMA2000 (including EVDO) has not experienced as
high growth rates as UMTS.

"CDMA2000's growth rate is expected to decline," adds research
analyst Hwai Lin Khor, "particularly with the increased talk of
CDMA2000 operators adopting LTE in their 4G roadmaps. However, ABI
Research expects that CDMA2000 technologies, particularly the 450 MHz
implementation, will remain attractive for rural coverage due to their
wider network range."

ABI Research's "Mobile Subscriber Market Data"
(http://www.abiresearch.com/products/market_data/Mobile_
Subscriber_Market_Data) is a comprehensive spreadsheet that presents a
macro view of mobile subscribers in different regions and countries on
quarterly and annual basis. It provides technology splits within each
subcategory from 2002 to 2013. It is a component of the Consumer
Mobility Research Service
(http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Consumer_Mobility_
Research_Service), which also includes Research Reports, Research
Briefs, another Market Data product, Online Databases, ABI Insights,
the ABI Vendor Matrix, and analyst inquiry support. (Due to the
length, the above URLs may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet
browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the
impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business
markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary
research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry
analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with
their strategic growth initiatives. For information, visit
www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

ABI Research
Nicole Fabris, +44.(0).203.326.0142
pr@abiresearch.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008