In a new report from Current Analysis — Fifteen Predictions for Consumer Services in 2015 — researchers and analysts forecast the top 15 trends that will impact both European and US fixed and wireless mobile operators in 2015.
According to details shared with MMW, predictions cover “five key consumer services” topic areas: Communications, Services Ecosystem, Content, Connected Life and Commerce.
So what’s on tap for the New Year? Here are three of the projections made in the report:
Debate over net neutrality far from over
The debate over net neutrality shows no signs of letting up, meaning that the controversial regulatory and legal battles will continue for the foreseeable future. In Europe, where the mobile market is struggling to retain value, carriers will increasingly look to offer bundles of fixed and mobile services, while in the US mobile carriers will continue engaging in relentless price competition around data access, but will also seek to build customer loyalty and keep rivals from poaching their subscribers.
No end in sight for price war in the US
US mobile operators spent 2014 launching retaliatory data pricing salvos against one another, and the barrage will continue into 2015. With the four national operators deploying robust LTE footprints, opportunities for service differentiation are growing scarcer. The greatest price erosion ever in the industry was experienced during Q3 2014.
OTT and operators – from foes to friends?
The impact of OTT services grew during 2014, and carriers are finding it increasingly difficult to compete against OTT messaging apps. Many, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, are garnering significant scale and threaten carrier relationships with their own customers. This scenario will encourage the growth of partnerships between carriers and OTT players during 2015, with the OTT providers benefiting from the carriers’ customer relationships.
