Mobile Data revenues will reach USD633 billion globally and make up 52% of overall mobile revenue by 2018. These figures were reported in Pyramid Research's report 'Mobile Data Pricing: Innovative Practices to Drive Adoption and Traffic' released recently. According to Pyramid Research, Asia Pacific which accounted for 37.8% of world's mobile data revenue in 2013 will be the major contributor for growth in this segment.
Pyramid Research said that 4G LTE will grow rapidly in the next 4 years at a CAGR of 52% from 211 million connections in 2013 to 1,750 million connections in 2018 as major mobile network operators continue to deploy and expand their 4G services.
In addition, Pyramid Research said that innovative pricing strategies are being implemented by many operators, as operators shift from pricing that is based on voice minutes and number of SMSs to pricing based on data allowances with voice and SMS bundled at a small price or at no cost at all. Pyramid highlighted that innovative pricing packages such as shared data plans and content and device bundling have contributed significantly to operator's mobile revenues as operators partner with device makers, content providers and OTT players to offer what is popularly demanded by their subscribers. Pyramid also noted that prepaid data plans are playing an important role in increasing market penetration. Overall, prices are being pushed down by smaller operators and new entrants seeking to expand their market share and in some markets such as the US, major operators are also pushing down prices to expand their market share - the 'double your data' spree by Verizon, AT&T Wireless and Sprint being a recent example.
