[Infonetics] 1B OTT mVoIP Subscribers (Skype- 40%); ARPU Down to $7.13 Annually

Last year Infonetics estimated that the annual ARPU for mobile VoIP user was $13 [here]. 2012, saw a huge decrease.

A new report by Infonetics Research Principle Analysts Diane Myers [pictured] and Stéphane Téral, finds that "While Skype dominates the over-the-top mobile VoIP space, the market is seeing other applications such as Fring, KakaoTalk, Line, Nimbuzz, WeChat and Viber gain in strength. But the fact remains that most OTT mVoIP providers are making very little money per user. In 2012, the average revenue per user was a meager US$7.13 annually. Since this alone is an unsustainable business model, most providers are turning to advertising, third-party apps and wholesale arrangements with traditional operators”

"The number of global OTT mobile VoIP subscribers shot up more than 550% in 2012, to over 640 million, and is expected to approach the 1 billion mark in 2013. Microsoft/Skype had roughly 40% of all active users of OTT mobile VoIP services in 2012"

"Infonetics projects the number of VoLTE subscribers to grow at a 145% compound annual growth rate from 2012 to 2017 Combined, over-the-top mobile VoIP and VoLTE services are expected to become a $16 billion business by 2017"

See "Infonetics Research raises VoLTE forecast; Over-the-top mobile VoIP subscribers nearing 1 billion mark" - here.

Mobilink [Pakistan] Partners with Nimbuzz

Mobilink's subscribers will have a choice of OTT chat services. After announcing a partnership with Viber (see "Mobilink [Pakistan] Offers Subscribers Unlimited Viber" - here) the Pakistani MNO adds another service - this time from Nimbuzz.

   

Nimbuzz and Mobilink have announced a "partnership to bring the Nimbuzz Messenger app to Mobilink subscribers across Pakistan at an unbeatable price .. The partnership will enable Mobilink subscribers to opt for a special, discounted 'Nimbuzz Bundle' that will allow unlimited internet usage via Nimbuzz app for subscribers to make full use of the many features."

Vikas Saxena, (pictured), CEO, Nimbuzz said: "Since messaging is one of the fastest growing usage categories on smartphones it becomes imperative that stakeholders in this ecosystem like telecom companies and Nimbuzz work together to bring out services that best serve this user need This tie-up will further help a large and growing user base of Nimbuzz in Pakistan to enjoy our product without caring about individual data costs much. We are excited to work with Mobilink in bringing together best communications experience on mobile for people of Pakistan"

See "Nimbuzz and Mobilink partner to launch a new communications solution in Pakistan" - here and "Connecting With Friends Just Got More Affordable With Nimbuzz" - here.

[Infonetics]: Global OTT mVoIP Subscribers more than Doubled in 2011

A new report by Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics and Diane Myers (pictured), principal analyst for VoIP and IMS, Infonetics Research concludes that:

"The number of global OTT mobile VoIP subscribers more than doubled from 2010 to 2011, to 98 million, with about 40% of the subscribers based in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa)"

" .. In the crowded OTT mobile VoIP market, Microsoft/Skype  still dominates [see "Skype Grew by 48% in 2011 - Generating 25% of all International Minutes" - here] .. independent OTT mVoIP providers like Google Voice, Fring [here], Line2, Nimbuzz, Talkonaut, ThruTu, and Truphone are working to differentiate from Skype and operator-driven OTT services such as T-Mobile’s Bobsled and Telefónica’s TU Me by making their service easier to use, lowering prices, integrating social networking, and adding video features".

Google Voice

"Still, with OTT mVoIP subscribers paying an average of only $14 per year [here], sustaining an OTT mobile VoIP service is extremely challenging, and most providers face daunting possibilities: go out of business or sell to a larger organization; or find a way to drive revenue beyond cheap calling"

Related post - "[NSN]: Chatty Android Phones should Move on to Network Controlled Fast Dormancy" - here.

See "Voice over LTE gaining momentum; 300k VoLTE subscribers by year's end" - here.

[NSN]: Chatty Android Phones should Move on to Network Controlled Fast Dormancy

Nokia Siemens Networks continues to provide valuable information on traffic loads caused by signaling (see a related recent post - "VoIP Signaling Crashed NTT DoCoMo; Asks Google to help" - here).

This time, an article by Gerald Reddig (pictured) from Mobile Broadband Marketing, looks at ".. existing 3G smartphones that have been tested in our Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs using OTT Voice over IP applications Nimbuzz, GoogleTalk and Skype, the issue seems to be more about different smartphone behavior. This includes the signaling load during a Skype voice call on Samsung´s Android phones compared to Nokia phones and iPhones".

"The Android phones generated 600% more signaling traffic during VoIP calls .. These impressive results have recently convinced a number of device manufacturers using an Android operating system (OS) or a Blackberry OS to step back from proprietary device driven Fast Dormancy and move on to standardized Network Controlled Fast Dormancy .. As always-on OTT applications proliferate, developers and handset manufacturers will increasingly have to look at new ways to reduce signaling load".

Source: Nokia Siemens Networks