Detailed Analysis on Smartphone Trends in Latin America The Impact of Government Policies and Regulatory Intervention


(MENAFNEditorial)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Illinois – United States – May 052015 (PR Buzz):Smartphone Trends in Latin America: The Impact of Government Policies and Regulatory Intervention is a new market research publication announced by Reportstack. This report examines and sizes the handset and smartphone markets at the global and Latin American levels. The report discusses the major handset-related regulations implemented in the region and it then presents case studies of Argentina Brazil Colombia Ecuador Peru and Venezuela analyzing the impact of imposed regulations. The report concludes with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations.

Key Findings
- Imposing hefty duties on handset imports is a viable option to foster local industry growth. However the absence of a fully developed production value chain (i.e. infrastructure transportation technology labor etc.) can translate into domestically-made handsets that are more expensive than similar imported products in a scenario with lower import tariffs to the detriment of consumers particularly those in low income segments.

- The reason the adoption of smartphones and particularly LTE-enabled smartphones is important is the positive impact these devices can have on ARPS levels. In Latin America the higher price of LTE-capable smartphones remains a major inhibitor to mass LTE adoption. The deployment of LTE networks is in full swing in most major Latin American markets but service adoption remains low. Mobile operators are under a lot of pressure to offer LTE-capable smartphones at affordable prices to get a critical mass of subscribers and more quickly recoup their LTE investments.

- It is crucial for mobile operators to be able to expeditiously procure enough smartphones to support the rollout of new technologies (e.g. LTE). In Venezuela for instance the adoption of LTE services has been muted mainly because of the unavailability of LTE-capable smartphones. In Ecuador if not revised government-imposed quotas on mobile handsets imports will negatively affect LTE rollout efforts by the country's largest mobile operators Claro and Movistar which were recently granted additional spectrum for the deployment of their LTE networks.

- Regulators across the region are increasingly resorting to banning the selling of carrier-locked handsets and forcing carriers to unlock all previously sold with the goal of fueling competition at the service layer. Banning the selling of locked handsets in itself doesn't change the structure of the market but it helps level the playing field in the mobile segment. In Peru the SIM lock removal coupled with improvements in the mobile number porting process has helped smaller operators Entel and Bitel to steal subscribers from incumbent operators Movistar and Claro.

- In Colombia the removal of minimum contract periods (handset subsidies) has resulted in a shift to lower smartphone price bands as consumers are unable to pay the full price of high-end and premium devices. This has negatively affected smartphone brands that are more dependent on carrier subsidies (e.g. Apple).

Complete report available @ Smartphone Trends in Latin America: The Impact of Government Policies and Regulatory Intervention.
Synopsis
“Smartphone Trends in Latin America: The Impact of Government Policies and Regulatory Intervention” examines and sizes the handset and smartphone markets at the global and Latin American levels. The report describes measures undertaken by governments and regulators that directly impact the sale of mobile handsets particularly smartphones including implementing import mechanisms and tax policies that favor locally-made handsets and banning the sale of carrier-locked handsets. Further the report analyses the impact of these measures on different industry players: mobile operators local and international handset manufacturers handset distributors and retail outlets with a focus on the major Latin American markets: Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Mexico Peru and Venezuela. Six case studies are presented bringing evidence from some of the most prominent handset-related regulations in Latin America. The report concludes with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations for regulators governments handset vendors and distributors and mobile operators.

Reasons To Buy
- This Telecom Insider helps executives build proactive profitable growth strategies by offering comprehensive relevant analysis of the handset sales regulatory environment in Latin America.

- The report offers a wealth of data on handset and smartphone sell-through in Latin America with a focus on the region's major markets: Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Mexico Peru and Venezuela.

- The report is designed for an executive-level audience boasting presentation quality that allows it to be turned into presentable material immediately.

- The broad yet detailed perspective will help operators handset vendors and other telecom industry players to succeed in the challenging mobile telecommunications market in Latin America.

Companies Mentioned

"Telefonica
Movistar
Vivo
America Movil
Claro
Entel Peru
Bitel Peru
Apple
Samsung
Blackberry
Brightstar
Digitel Venezuela
Huawei
ZTE
Alcatel One Touch
Motorola
Avvio
OSIPTEL Peru
CRC Colombia"

Contact:

Debora White
Manager - Marketing 
debora@reportstack.com
Ph: +1-888-789-6604
Reportstack Market Research
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