Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Forecast retail value of sales of mobile network connections, 2008-18
- Figure 2: Forecast volume of mobile network connection sales, 2008-18
- Market factors
- Roaming legislation may heavily impact operator revenue
- Consumers are using data-based communication services as voice and text volumes fall
- 4G should take off over 2014
- Companies, brands and innovation
- The consumer
- Network operator and type of contract
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- Figure 3: Mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
- Figure 4: Connection types consumers have, December 2013
- Contract length and monthly spend
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- Figure 5: Length of consumer contracts, December 2013
- Figure 6: Monthly spend on consumer mobile contracts, December 2013
- Features consumers would upgrade if possible
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- Figure 7: Feature consumers would upgrade in new phone contract for free, if available, December 2013
- Important network features when choosing a new provider
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- Figure 8: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new network provider, December 2013
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Operators may be about to start losing control of staple text and voice services
- The facts
- The implications
- Older and younger consumers behave differently, polarising the market
- The facts
- The implications
Trend Application
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- Trend: Return to the Experts
- Trend: Make it Mine
- Mintel futures: East Meets West
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Roaming legislation may heavily impact operator revenue
- Increasing use of non-call communication channels
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- Figure 9: Volume of outgoing mobile call minutes and % change, 2007-12
- Figure 10: Text messages and internet-connected messages sent in the UK, 2007-13
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- Figure 11: Use of mobile data services, 2011-13
- Operators split handsets and contracts
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- Figure 12: Sample breakdown of a traditional contract, February 2014
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- Figure 13: Sample breakdown of an O2 Refresh contract, February 2014
- 4G should take off over 2014
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- Figure 14: EE 4G subscribers, November 2012-January 2014 (projected)
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- Figure 15: Operator 4G band spectrum allocations, by megahertz (MHz) ownership and % share
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Three’s pre-regulation abandonment of roaming rates will please consumers
- Vodafone considers partnering with Sky
- O2’s Refresh and EE’s Swap split out mobile and contract costs
- Weve’s partnership with MasterCard will slash mobile payment costs
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Market should continue to see slow but steady growth
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- Figure 16: Value of mobile network services retail sales, both pre-pay and post-pay, 2008-18
- Figure 17: Volume of mobile network services sales, both pre-pay and post-pay, 2008-18
- Forecasts
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- Figure 18: Forecast retail value of sales of mobile network provider connections, 2008-18
- Figure 19: Forecast volume of sales of retail mobile network provider connections, 2008-18
Market Share and Segmentation
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- Key points
- Post-pay takes greater share of market
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- Figure 20: Proportion of pre-pay and post-pay mobile network contracts, 2007-12
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- Figure 21: Volume and annual change in outgoing voice call minutes by pre and post-pay connections, 2007-12
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- Figure 22: Monthly line rental prices for new post-pay mobile connections, 2009 and 2012
- Post-pay ARPU continues to decline 2012
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- Figure 23: ARPU, by pre-pay connections, post-pay connections and average, 2007-12
- Data revenues continue to increase, though voice still dominates
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- Figure 24: Retail fixed and mobile telecoms operator revenue in £ billions, by service, 2010-12
Companies and Products
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- Everything Everywhere Limited
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- Figure 25: Key financial data for EE, 2012 and 2013
- Hutchison 3G UK Limited (Three)
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- Figure 26: Key financial data for Hutchison 3G UK Limited, H1 2012 and H1 2013
- Telefónica UK Limited (O2)
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- Figure 27: Key financial data for Telefónica UK, 2012 and 2013
- Vodafone Group Plc
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- Figure 28: Key financial data for Vodafone UK, 2012 and 2013
Brand Advertising, Perceptions and Social Media
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- Brand advertising
- 2013 decline in adspend of almost 10%
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- Figure 29: Total mobile adspend by mobile network operators, 2009-13
- Vodafone heaviest spending operator
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- Figure 30: Total adspend by operator, 2009-13
- Brand perceptions
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 31: Key brand metrics, November 2013
- Brand map
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- Figure 32: Attitudes towards and usage of brands in the mobile network providers sector, December 2013
- Correspondence analysis
- Brand attitudes
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- Figure 33: Attitudes, by mobile network provider brand, December 2013
- Brand personality
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- Figure 34: Mobile network provider brand personality – macro image, December 2013
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- Figure 35: Mobile network provider brand personality – micro image, December 2013
- Brand usage
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- Figure 36: Brand usage, November 2013
- Brand experience
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- Figure 37: Brand satisfaction, November 2013
- Social media and online buzz
- Social media metrics
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- Figure 38: Social media metrics of selected mobile network provider brands, February 2014
- Twitter plays vital role in brand strategy
- Online mentions
- O2 consistently more talked about than the rest
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- Figure 39: Online mentions of selected network provider brands, January-November 2013
- O2 still earns most mentions away from its venue business
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- Figure 40: Selected mobile network provider brands share of voice, without O2 mentions around venues, January-November 2013
- Figure 41: Mentions of O2, excluding mentions about venues, January-November 2013
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- Figure 42: Mentions of other selected network provider brands, January-November 2013
- Topics of discussion
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- Figure 43: Topics of discussion around selected mobile network provider brands, January-November 2013
- 4G is most talked about topic
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- Figure 44: Percentage of 4G conversations by brand, January-November 2013
- Figure 45: Mentions around 4G, by brand, January-November 2013
- Shift in where mentions around 4G occurred in second half of the year
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- Figure 46: Conversations around 4G across time, by media, January-November 2013
- More choice means consumers consider their options
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- Figure 47: Mentions around leaving, cancelling or switching provider, January-November 2013
- Three earns the peak in mentions around advertising
- O2 has the highest number of mentions across the period, but not as positive as Three
- The adverts lead to a spike lasting for around two weeks
- Analysis by brand
- O2
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- Figure 48: Topic cloud around mentions of O2, January-November 2013
- Vodafone
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- Figure 49: Topic cloud around mentions of Vodafone, January-November 2013
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- Figure 50: Discussion around brands by media, January-November 2013
- EE
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- Figure 51: Topic cloud around mentions of EE, January-November 2013
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- Figure 52: Changing perceptions of EE, 2012-13
- Three
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- Figure 53: Topic cloud around mentions of Three, January-November 2013
The Consumer – Network Operator and Type of Contract
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- Key points
- Many EE consumers still identify with subsidiary brands
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- Figure 54: Mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
- Demographic highlights of operator use
- Demographic charts
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- Figure 55: Mobile network operator used by consumers, by age, December 2013
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- Figure 56: Mobile network operator used by consumers, by socio-economic status, December 2013
- Almost six in ten on contract
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- Figure 57: Connection types consumers have, December 2013
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- Figure 58: Network operator by pay as you go and contract connection, December 2013
The Consumer – Contract Length and Monthly Spend
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- Key points
- Over half of all consumers on two-year contracts
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- Figure 59: Length of consumer contracts, December 2013
- Virgin takes high share of rolling customers
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- Figure 60: Mobile network providers that consumers have connections with, by length of current contract, December 2013
- A quarter of consumers pay between £11 and £16
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- Figure 61: Monthly spend on consumer mobile contracts, December 2013
- Age has clearest relationship to payment
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- Figure 62: Amount consumers spend on monthly contracts, by age, December 2013
- High handset costs prompting long-term, expensive contacts
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- Figure 63: Length of consumer post-pay contracts, by monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
The Consumer – Features Consumers Would Upgrade if Possible
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- Key points
- Handset the most important feature to consumers
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- Figure 64: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, December 2013
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- Figure 65: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, by age, December 2013
- Importance of handset contrasts to brand rankings
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- Figure 66: Importance of brands and model when buying a new phone, November 2013
- Parents of younger children more likely to want data
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- Figure 67: Consumers who would increase the amount of data included in a new phone contract if free of charge to do so, by children in the household, December 2013
- Pay-as-you-go-users still minutes-focused
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- Figure 68: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free if available, by contract type, December 2013
The Consumer – Important Network Features When Choosing a New Provider
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- Key points
- Network coverage and call quality most important
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- Figure 69: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new network provider, December 2013
- Friends and family grow in importance
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- Figure 70: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new network provider, ranked by 1 – 5 in importance, with indicators showing change in position, December 2013
- Data the one feature with clear age bias
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- Figure 71: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new provider, by age of respondent, ranked by percentage point difference between the results, December 2013
- Data-lovers losing interest in voice calls
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 72: Value of retail sales of mobile network connections, best and worst case forecasts, 2013-18
- Figure 73: Value of retail sales of mobile network connections, best and worst case forecasts, 2013-18
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Appendix – Brand Advertising, Perceptions and Social Media
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- Figure 74: Brand usage, December 2013
- Figure 75: Brand commitment, December 2013
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- Figure 76: Brand diversity, December 2013
- Figure 77: Brand satisfaction, December 2013
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- Figure 78: Brand recommendation, December 2013
- Figure 79: Brand attitude, December 2013
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- Figure 80: Brand image – macro image, December 2013
- Figure 81: Brand image – micro image, December 2013
- Figure 82: Online mentions of selected network providers, January-November 2013
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- Figure 83: Topics of discussion around selected network providers, January-November 2013
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Appendix – The Consumer – Network Operator and Type of Contract
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- Figure 84: Mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 85: Most popular mobile network provider consumers use, by demographics, December 2013
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- Figure 86: Next most popular mobile network provider consumers use, by demographics, December 2013
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- Figure 87: Least popular mobile network provider consumers use, by demographics, December 2013
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- Figure 88: Connection types consumers have, December 2013
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- Figure 89: Mobile network provider consumers use, by type of mobile connection consumers have, December 2013
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- Figure 90: Connection types consumers have, by most popular mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 91: Connection types consumers have, by next most popular mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 92: Connection types consumers have, by demographics, December 2013
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Appendix – The Consumer – Contract Length and Monthly Spend
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- Figure 93: Length of consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 94: Connection types consumers have, by length of consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 95: Mobile network provider consumers use, by length of consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 96: Length of consumer contracts, by most popular mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 97: Length of consumer contracts, by next most popular mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 98: Length of consumer contracts, by demographics, December 2013
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- Figure 99: Monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 100: Mobile network provider consumers use, by most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 101: Mobile network provider consumers use, by next most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 102: Length of consumer contracts, by most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 103: Length of consumer contracts, by next most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, December 2013
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- Figure 104: Most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, by demographics, December 2013
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- Figure 105: Next most popular monthly spend on consumer contracts, by demographics, December 2013
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Appendix – The Consumer – Features Consumers Would Upgrade if Possible
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- Figure 106: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, December 2013
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- Figure 107: Mobile network provider consumers use, by feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, December 2013
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- Figure 108: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, by most popular mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 109: Feature consumers would upgrade in new phone contract for free, if available, by next most popular Mobile network provider consumers use, December 2013
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- Figure 110: Feature consumers would upgrade in a new phone contract for free, if available, by demographics, December 2013
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Appendix – The Consumer – Important Network Features When Choosing a New Provider
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- Figure 111: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 112: Most important network features to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 113: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance of good network coverage to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 114: Mobile network provider consumers use, by The importance of good call quality to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 115: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance of amount of data usage included to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 116: Mobile network provider consumers use, by The importance of recommendation by friends and family to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 117: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 118: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance of the selection of mobile phones exclusive to that network to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 119: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance of cost of the mobile insurance the network offers to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 120: Mobile network provider consumers use, by the importance of customer service reputation of the network to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 121: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of good network coverage to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 122: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of good call quality to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 123: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of amount of data usage included to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 124: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of recommendation of friends and family to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 125: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of the amount of free minutes given by the network to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 126: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of selection of mobile phones exclusive to that network to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 127: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of the cost of the mobile insurance the network offers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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- Figure 128: Connection types consumers have, by the importance of the customer service reputation of the network to consumers when picking a new provider, December 2013
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