Mobile service users in the Philippines are expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 15% to reach 73 million by 2010, a report from UK-based online firm Report Buyer said.
Like Indonesia, mobile communications, SMS text messaging in particular, is growing faster than fixed-line telephony because of the country's geographical features, the report said.
ReportBuyer said the rapid expansion of the mobile market will be possible as the two leaders in the market, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, are improving the service quality to win the competition, and mobile broadband market is projected to expand rapidly due to the slow spread of fixed-line telephony.
In addition, more and more people want to use contents in English via the mobile internet as most Filipinos are familiar with using English.
The report shows that as of now, 55 million, or 60% of the population, have subscribed to mobile services.
There is a cut-throat competition between the two dominant service providers, PLDT's Smart Communications and Globe Telecom of Ayala Group.
The combined market share of these two companies occupies as much as 80% of the entire mobile market.
The report also noted that another unique characteristic of the Philippines mobile market is that there are many services available for overseas Filipino workers as the country's economy relies heavily on their remittance. As the key customer base, they are continuously contributing to the improvement in the communications revenue. Furthermore, enhanced roaming and remittance services for the overseas Filipino workers will be introduced.