31.03.2008

FICORA market review 2007: Mobile broadband becoming more common

Mobile broadband subscriptions made a breakthrough at the end of 2007. At the turn of the year, the number of mobile broadband subscriptions reached already nearly 150,000, corresponding about eight per cent of all broadband subscriptions. The total number of broadband subscriptions grew by 23 per cent and was more than 1.75 million in Finland at the end of the year. Other than mobile broadband subscriptions grew by 13 per cent.

The number of mobile subscriptions exceeded six million at the turn of the year. This growth was considerably affected by the growth in the mobile broadband usage.

This information appears in FICORA's market review 2007. The market review also includes an example of a price comparison of mobile calls, which examines monthly costs for various pricing models and call volumes. The comparison confirms the preconceived opinion that the most advantageous per-minute priced calls are a good alternative for people who do not make many phone calls. Call packages, again, are a more favourable choice for people who talk on the phone for several hours per month.

Mobile operators, especially Elisa and TeliaSonera, still had problems with their telephone service. A good answering time at the telephone service is less than one minute, but the average time for either of the operators was not even near to it.

The digital switchover affected the viewer share of many television channels. New and smaller digital channels increased their share clearly at the end of the year.

FICORA market review 2007

FICORA publishes annually a market review from the previous year, comprising basic information about various issues, such as mobile and broadband subscriptions. This time, it also contains market data on television, radio and postal services. In addition to the annual review, FICORA also publishes three shorter market reviews every year. The next market review will involve comparison data on international communications markets. Information on the market development is published again in the autumn in a biannual review.

FICORA market review 2007 is available in Finnish at www.ficora.fi. The English version will be published later.

Further information:
Petri Makkonen, Communications Market Specialist, tel. +358 9 6966 381 (telecom issues)
Päivi Peltola-Ojala, Communications Market Specialist, tel. +358 9 6966 732 (telecom issues)
Tiina Aaltonen, Development Manager, tel. +358 9 6966 430 (tv, radio and postal issues)