Growth in the number of European mobile subscribers is set to slump over the next couple of years, forcing operators to take a new look at their markets, according to an assessment by Forrester Research.
Forrester’s analysts predict that new customer growth will drop from 2000’s 60% rise to a mere 3% in 2005. In addition to a rising penetration over the years, populations in many European countries are either stagnant or in slight decline. “Mobile marketers will simply run out of customers to sell to,” as Forrester puts it.
As the total population stays stagnant, the demographic profile gradually weights towards the older end: Forrester forecasts a 26% rise in the number of people aged 55 and over between now and 2020.
For older customers mobile reliability and ease of use are considered more important factors than the pace of new technology. Mobile operators will have to bear this demographic change in mind as they market their services over the coming years, says Forrester.
