SPOTLIGHT: FMC customers to represent 3% of market in 2011

Informa Telecoms & Media says in a new report that it expects 92 million FMC subscribers to generate $28 billion in revenues by 2011. That means FMC customers will make up just 3 percent of overall subscriptions. Fixed telecom operators will lead the charge by aggressively rolling out FMC services to counter the threat that fixed-to-mobile substitution is having on their businesses. Mobile operators, on the other hand, will take a cautious approach to FMC deployment and are expected to offer services where competition is highest to combat fixed operator activity. On the handset side, Informa predicts an increase in sales of dual-mode handsets to 5 percent of global handset sales, or 47 million units per year by 2011. You'd think with the hype surrounding FMC services that there would be a much bigger market opportunity. But vendors are rushing in to establish a beachhead because 47 million handsets is good for someone. Article