[Pyramid]: Trends in Mobile Data Services Driving $600B Revenues by 2018

A new report by Ozgur Aytar [pictured], Research Director, Pyramid Research finds that " .. the transformation of the mobile operator business model is evident in data pricing schemes that are innovative and disruptive in an ever-competitive market landscape worldwide:

• Competitive pressures call for operators to take a dynamic approach to tariff plans, whereby they constantly revise pricing and introduce new schemes to gain market share and increase data usage among existing subscribers.
   
• Shared mobile data plans for multiple users or devices have spread outside of the US, enabling operators to draw in the growing installed base of tablets as well as other connected devices
   
• Pyramid Research expects an increasing number of operators worldwide to pursue flat-rate or time-based charging for specific applications (e.g. streaming content and social media) as well as sponsored, zero-rating schemes in 2015 to boost data usage and 4G adoption and leverage the popularity of over-the-top content for upsell opportunities

Pyramid Research expects mobile data revenue to grow annually by 11% between 2013 and 2018, reaching over $600bn as compared to an 0.2% decline in mobile voice revenue in the same period"

See "Pyramid Research explores successful and emerging mobile data pricing strategies" - here.