Mobile Capex Holding Firm in AME Despite Down Economy, Pyramid Research Says 
 
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 3 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- 
 
    Strong subscriber growth and sustained levels of revenue in Africa and the Middle East will encourage 
mobile operators to carry on with their capex plans for 2009 and 2010, according to a new report from Pyramid 
Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network  
 
    AME Capex Looking Up in Face of the Global Economic Downturn analyzes the three major factors that will 
drive capex investment in AME during 2009 and 2010 and investigates how the global economic downturn will 
affect each one. This 18-page report examines three operators in key markets (Turkcell in Turkey, Vodafone in 
Ghana, and Zain in Nigeria) that serve as real-life illustrations of the prevalent trend among AME operators to 
keep spending on network infrastructure. 
 
    Download an excerpt of this report here: 
 
    Recent reports from global network vendors and operators have confirmed the inevitable: Global capex is 
on the decline, notes Dearbhla McHenry, analyst at Pyramid Research and author of the report. "However, 
spending in AME is holding steady so far - AME is one of only two regions that will actually see an increase in 
total telecom revenue in 2009, mainly due to the late development of the mobile sector and a recent move to 
address pent-up demand for mobile services in AME," she says. 
 
    "Pyramid forecasts a similar resilience in its capex spending, due to the region's ongoing unmet need for 
basic telecom infrastructure," says McHenry. "Whereas capex in developed countries is driven primarily by 
service enhancements and operator differentiation strategies, capex in AME is driven primarily by the need for 
more capacity and coverage in order to keep up with organic growth of the subscriber base in many of the 
region's largest (and poorest) markets," she explains. 
 
    Increasing wireless broadband uptake and new licensing, acquisitions, and privatization will also bring new 
money to the region and help drive capex spending over the next two years. Furthermore, the list of operators 
interested in increasing their footprint in AME is still a long one. "Zain, MTN, and Etisalat are all keen to enter 
African markets while penetration is still low. Global operators, such as France Telecom, Telefonica, and 
Vodafone, have also realized that future growth will come largely from emerging markets and have turned their 
sights on Africa," McHenry says. 
 
    AME Capex Looking Up in Face of the Global Economic Downturn is part of Pyramid Research's 
Africa/Middle East Telecom Insider report series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry 
best practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information 
you can leverage to make better business decisions. 
 
    Download an excerpt of this report here: 
 
    AME Capex Looking Up in Face of the Global Economic Downturn is priced at $595 and can be purchased 
contacting Jeff Claudino via email at claudino@pyr.com or telephone at +1-619-229-9940. 
 
    About Pyramid Research 
    Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex demands our clients face in the  
telecommunications, media and technology industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection 
of emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered by the bottom-up 
methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries - a distinction that has remained unmatched for 
more than 25 years. As the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid 
Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's most comprehensive market 
data, trusted research and insightful technology analysis. 
 
    About Light Reading 
    Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused  
event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate 
source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms 
of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, 
provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 
100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including 
TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, 
as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was 
acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb. 
 
    About TechWeb 
business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb 
produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more 
than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our 
global face-to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the 
TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The 
Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, 
MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services  
including next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb 
is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information 
services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. 
 
    *13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly connections 
 
    About United Business Media Limited 
    UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and 
monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses 
inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from 
journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated events, online, print and business 
information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve 
these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to 
 
    Press contact: 
    Jennifer Baker 
    +1 617 871-1910 
    jbaker@pyr.com 
 
 
     SOURCE:  Pyramid Research 
 
    CONTACT: Jennifer Baker,  
                       +1-617-871-1910,  
                       jbaker@pyr.com 
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