While it still too early to claim a turnaround, it is clear that the mobile industry is undergoing profound changes. The saturated developed markets are forcing the industry to find new revenue streams and we are now seeing other organisations such as media companies, content providers, Internet media companies and private equity companies becoming involved in this market. The emerging markets are also making their mark on the mobile sector; many of the less mature regions around the world are showing significant growth and operators around the world are certainly taking note. This report provides an overview of the mobile communications market in the Americas. The US wireless industry has shown considerable growth since 1999, reaching approximately 83% penetration by early 2008. Canada’s wireless penetration still lingers amongst the lowest in the OECD. Mobile telephony in Latin America had a somewhat late start compared with the rest of the world, taking off in 1999-2000. A separate report is available on Mobile Data & Content for this region.
