"Australia - Mobile Broadband Market - Services and Apps" is now available at Fast Market Research

1800MHz spectrum auction set to improve LTE in regional Australia

SMS still in contention though threatened by OTT services

SMS remains a cash cow for mobile network operators, but with diminishing returns. The high charge made to consumers compared to the cost to transmit the data across the network prompted the ACCC in May 2015 to propose a significant reduction in SMS termination charges, to come into effect from January 2016. While MNOs protest that most SMS traffic is bundled within packages and that such a measure is unnecessary, they are also smarting from the prevalence of OTT messaging services offered by the likes of WhatsApp, Viber, Skype and social media messaging services. These alternative services will further erode SMS traffic and revenue for MNOs into 2016.

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LTE approaching near comprehensive coverage, while 5G is closer on the horizon

The three LTE networks operated by Optus, Telstra and Vodafone have developed rapidly during the past two years as these players strive to provide an infrastructure capable of meetings customer demand for mobile broadband services. As well as aiming to attract new customers, these players are also trying to reduce churn - the experiences of Vodafone in recent years has shown how damaging it can be for an operator when their networks do not provide reliability and, increasingly in an era leaning further to mobile data than voice, sufficient performance.

Technological developments have also progressed, with operators using aggregated channels to improve data throughput. Since the beginning of 2015 Optus and Telstra have been able to utilise their 700MHz spectrum assets, with which they aim to provide about 98% population coverage by the end of 2016. Vodafone is relying on upgrades to its existing concessions, and by mid-2015 it provided about 95% coverage in metro areas.

These upgraded networks face daunting data demands from customers, many of whom make use of data-intensive graphics, videos and files shared across the networks. In addition, popular OTT services such as Netflix, a company which alone had attracted about one million customers since launching in Australia in March 2015, provide streaming of content over mobile devices. While networks can at times be strained, the MNOs are continually adding capabilities and applications in an effort to reduce their overall costings. Customer preference for WiFi from homes and workplaces has meant that mobile broadband traffic is largely offloaded to fixed-line infrastructure.

Smartphones becoming a standard medium for internet access

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