Half of European calls to be mobile by 2008

Already knocking 75% in Finland

Posted in Mobile, 31st July 2007 07:02 GMT

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Mobile calls are replacing fixed-line usage across Europe, according to a new report from Analysys, but people aren't talking more, they're just using fixed-lines less.

The change has been most stark in Finland, where 2006 saw another 10 per cent of calls migrate onto mobile networks; bringing the total to 74.6 per cent at the end of the year.

Even in Germany, where fixed-lines still dominate, 24.3 per cent of calls originate on a mobile handset: a rise of 6% during 2006, which increased voice use of mobiles by 23%.

The report comes from Analysys, consultants to the telecommunications and IT industries, and is entitled "The Acceleration of Fixed-Mobile Substitution in Western Europe: facts and figures". Analysys paint a picture of an exponential rise in the use of mobile phones country by country, as users in each become more comfortable with using their mobiles, and operators get more innovative with their pricing.

But despite this the authors don't believe that users are making more calls, simply that they are moving away from using their fixed-lines and towards relying on their handsets.

True convergence should make the difference academic in the near future, but companies solely involved in fixed-telephony provision might like to see the writing on the wall.®

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