Europe

Deal for total of 3,000 towers and rooftops over the next five years will consolidate infrastructure giant’s position in the French market

How the Digital Economy Bill, ESN rollout and new towerco dynamics will shape the market

CXOs of Europe’s biggest towercos share their visions and expectations for the future of telecoms infrastructure

New towercos, consolidation and spin outs make Russia one of Europe’s most active tower markets

“The tower is a tool, not just an asset”

The benefits of selecting a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor

Small cells, DAS, neutral hosts, street furniture and the role of the towerco

Switzerland had a population of 8.3mn at the end of 2016 and 10.9mn mobile subscribers. Mobile penetration therefore stood at 131%, slightly above average for Western Europe (121%) but somewhat behind the leaders of Austria (161%) and Luxembourg (153%), with Germany (137%) also being slightly ahead. Mobile penetration has been slowly falling in recent years, from a high of 135% in mid-2014, as the number of smartphones increases (currently 73% of subscribers) and the number of SIMs per unique subscriber falls (currently 1.4, down from a high of 1.5 in 2014). The majority of subscribers now use 3G or 4G technologies (53% and 33%, respectively) with 2G in decline (currently accounting for 14% of subscribers). As with most markets ARPU has been falling however, at €47.90 in Q4 2016, it remains one of the highest in Western Europe and the world. This is not reflected in operator margins though, partly due to the investment required to achieve the network coverage and quality levels described below.

TowerXchange’s updated market forecast

Fully independent yet 100% owned by Turkcell, Global Tower is ready to expand into Eastern Europe, the CIS and the Middle East

How Asentria bring extensive expertise in trials to ensure a solution is fit for purpose

As towercos look to invest in small cell programmes, which type of small cell will generate optimal returns?