Asia remains the largest and fastest growing region in the world both for investment in telecom tower networks, and for the expansion of the independent towerco business model. Once again, TowerXchange is updating its annual country-by-country review, with a deeper analysis of the products and services required in each market. Please note, Afghanistan and Pakistan are now covered in the MENA edition of this report.
While gearing up for the sixth annual TowerXchange Meetup Asia, taking place in Singapore, 3-4 December 2019, we offer our readers invaluable insights into the key dynamics of the top Asian tower markets from India to Indonesia, encompassing China, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Bangladesh and more.
We’re keeping the categories we’re reviewing the same as last year, so you can make a like-for-like comparison. We are rebranding one of the categories from its original focus on small cells, DAS and IBS to “Beyond towers” - expanding the scope to include edge computing, fibre, small cells, DAS and IBS.
- Energy: our focus in this category is on primary and backup power solutions, energy storage, hybrid and renewable energy solutions for unreliable grid and off grid.
- RMS, ILM and access control: is there a need for remote monitoring and access control systems on most towers? Are they connecting to a NOC or to a Site Management or Infrastructure Lifecycle Management platform such as those provided by Accruent, Tarantula or Nexsysone?
- As a function of the volume of new build, is there significant requirement for towers and accessories? Or demand for the services of turnkey infrastructure providers in building new towers, decommissioning parallel infrastructure or upgrading existing sites?
- How much demand is there to date for small cells, microcells, DAS and IBS? And what about fibre?
- And finally, is there much prospect for sale and leaseback or towerco consolidation to keep the consultants, lawyers and other advisors busy?
TowerXchange examines the 15 most active Asian tower markets, predicts demand for passive infrastructure equipment and services, and lists the largest towercos and MNOs active in each country. The following matrix is compiled based on hundreds of research calls and meetings with Asia’s leading towercos and MNOs in which we’ve diagnosed their procurement and capex priorities.
Download TowerXchange Asia Vendor Matrix 2019
Brief commentary on Asia’s less active tower markets:
East Timor: Too small to provide the necessary economies of scale to towercos, therefore TowerXchange has yet to study the market in detail.
Mongolia: In 2013 the government separated telecom service providers from infrastructure providers in the challenging 3mn population, 1.5mn sq km Mongolian market. The infrastructure providers, including State-owned ICNC, Mobi Network and Sky Network, run towers, active equipment, fibre and microwave backhaul. More than half of Mongolia’s ~1,000 towers are shared. TowerXchange has yet to study the market in detail.
Nepal: Axiata’s acquisition of Ncell from TeliaSonera may herald the entry of edotco into Nepal. The government is looking to implement a telecom infrastructure provider regime, currently underway and drawing interest from international players. TowerXchange expects to study the market in detail in the coming months.
North Korea: Impenetrable to a Western research firm like TowerXchange, and probably impenetrable to foreign investors!
NG: Digicel seem disinclined to share attractive urban locations, restricting sharing to rural sites in PNG. With no towercos present, there is no impetus for TowerXchange to study the market in detail.
South Korea: No immediate opportunities for tower industry growth, therefore TowerXchange has yet to study the market in detail.
New Zealand: the country could hold interesting opportunities for towercos. Historically, the three New Zealand operators would not share their infrastructure but the government has changed its policy last year as they are very keen on driving infrastructure development in rural and remote areas. That could lead to some action in the local market.
If you have passive infrastructure equipment, services, or small cell solutions, to sell to Asia, then don’t miss the ‘technology evaluation working groups’ and closed-door sessions led by the region’s leading towercos and MNOs and hosted at the 6th Annual TowerXchange Meetup Asia on December 3-4 at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore!
