Market Report, "Australia Telecommunications Report Q4 2013", published

The Australian telecommunications industry is one of the highest value markets in Asia Pacific and even the world, underpinned by high incomes and strong uptake of higher value services such as broadband and smartphone handsets. However, subscription growth opportunities are severely limited in the years ahead due to the highly saturated nature of the market. Operators are increasingly focused on value generation strategies, although the ARPU downtrend demonstrates this has yet to pay off dramatically. However, the market is currently seeing high levels of investment in next generation broadband technologies which we believe will buoy ARPUs throughout 2013.

Key Data:

* Australian mobile operators saw mixed performances in 2012, ending the year with 30.642mn subscriptions. By Q113, BMI data show this figure reached 30.987mn. Telstra continues to gain significant net additions at the expense of Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA).
* The auction of 700MHz digital dividend spectrum in May 2013 has encouraged the spread of LTE and value-added services; however, we expect strong competition and a deteriorating economy to apply downward pressure on ARPUs.
* We forecast Australia's broadband industry to receive a boost in the latter part of our forecast period when the National Broadband Network (NBN) and LTE services are widely available. The coalition's alternative NBN plan announced in April 2013 may bring this boost forward as it aims for a faster rollout.

Full Report Details at
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/684707_australia_telecommunications_report_q4_2013.aspx?afid=301

Key Trends And Developments

In May 2013, NBN Co launched its broadband services in Sydney. The NBN-enabled broadband service is initially available to 1,300 homes. The company is now expected to connect 1.4mn premises across New South Wales and 4.85mn nationwide by mid-2016. The nationwide launch is likely to be completed by 2021.

In May 2013, SingTel put up its Australian subsidiary Optus' satellite business for sale, soliciting offers in excess of AUD2bn (US$1.9bn), in order to help finance its expansion plans. By June, the company was reported to have received multiple bids for the business, with local sources suggesting that bidders included the international satellite companies, Eutelstat and SES, as well as the private equity groups, Carlyle Group and KKR & Co. However, the fact that Optus' satellite business operates key facilities for the Australian military is likely to mean that any deal will be subject to close scrutiny by the government.

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