PLN 15bn in the Telco B2B market in Poland and the impact of COVID-19 on the market
PMR estimates the value of the telecommunications services market for the business and carrier segments in Poland at nearly PLN 15bn. In 2020 the market recorded growth mainly due to higher interconnect revenues of mobile operators – the effect of the COVID-19 crisis and increased call traffic. The retail market for business services also saw positive dynamics last year – the focus of operators on building the value of services provided and the decreasing price pressure in the market are important.
The biggest impact of cellular wholesale
According to PMR estimates, in 2020 the value of the telecommunications market for business and carrier services in Poland will grow by over 3% to PLN 14.7bn. The market is positively affected by both the retail business services segment and the wholesale segment, with the latter gaining more weight last year. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the value of wholesale in the Polish telecommunications market benefited from the revenues of mobile operators, which account for 80% of the entire wholesale market. The trend of remote working and moving away from the office, as well as social isolation due to the pandemic, dynamically increased call traffic in the retail mobile market. This has consequently translated into higher interconnect billing revenues for operators.
The key is quality rather than price of service
The market for telecommunications services in the business segment in Poland has been growing at a low rate in the last two years, with a tendency towards stagnation. The market is constrained primarily by high saturation with services (mobile, fixed-line, DLISP). On the other hand, the trend of operators focusing on value and quality of services, which has dominated the telecommunications market over the last three years, makes the market prosperity still positive. This is particularly evident in the mobile segment (price increases for mobile services in 2018-2019) and ISP (demand and sales of lines with higher parameterization – fiber optic lines, upgraded TVK lines – which entails a higher subscription fee).
The price of service is also beginning to play a lesser role in the data transmission market, which in recent periods has been subject to strong exposure to price pressure. Polish companies place greater emphasis on the quality and timeliness of teletransmission services, which entails the choice of a more reliable and thus more expensive service provider. This trend became more important during the pandemic due to the crisis situation. Moreover, enterprises are increasingly using additional broadcasting-related services to secure their critical assets. The aforementioned factors are building the value of the data transmission market.
Find comprehensive information about the current state of the Polish telecommunications services for business and carrier market in the PMR report:
Negative Market Outlook: CAGR 2021-2026: -3.3%
PMR forecasts a negative CAGR of -3.3% between 2021 and 2026 in the telecommunications market for the business and carrier segments in Poland. The downward trend in the market over the next six years will be generated by the wholesale segment, which will see a reduction mainly in MTRs, but also in FTRs, which will be regulated by an EU regulation starting in 2021. The retail business market, on the other hand, is expected to maintain a slight upward trend over the forecasted period, which will continue to be driven by operators’ focus on building value from the services they provide, but also by the business customer’s decreasing sensitivity to service prices.
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ICT Business Unit Director