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MNO Industry Overview

Delivered August 3, 2019. Contributor: Sara F.

Goals

To understand the global MNO (mobile network operator) industry, including number of operators, revenue, employees, software spend, cybersecurity spend, SIM cards usage, and smartphones usage.

Early Findings

  • GSMA Intelligence states there are 1,400+ MNOs, as well as 1,200+ MVNOs, worldwide.
  • As of 2015, MNO revenues had topped $1 trillion.
  • A December 2018 report states the industry is growing at a CAGR of 40%.
  • GSMA Intelligence estimates 2025 MNO revenue to reach $1.1 trillion, up from $1.05 trillion in 2017.
  • DataReportal states that there are approximately 5.5 billion smartphones in the world, as of 2019.
  • An April 2018 article says the global SIM cards market has grown 2.75%, reaching 5.6 billion cards shipped in 2017, though data on how many are actively in use appears to be unavailable.
  • GSMA Intelligence notes there were 7.8 billion SIM connections, excluding cellular IoT, in 2017, and that figure is expected to reach 9 billion by 2025.
  • MNOs supported 29 million jobs in 2017 with 12 million of those working directly in the industry and another 17 million jobs indirectly supported.



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