Last updated: 23 Apr 2020 Update History
Report Status: Archived
Report Pages: 96
Analyst: Henry Lancaster
Publication Overview
This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Cyprus’s telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. Subjects include:
Researcher:- Henry Lancaster
Current publication date:- April 2019 (17th Edition)
Executive Summary
Despite the liberalisation of Cyprus’s telecom sector, the market overall continues to be dominated by the incumbent, Cyta, which is still fully-owned by the state though the government continues to press for a sale of a minority stake in a bid to arrest the continuing decline in the operator’s market share. As such, these plans (which form part of the 2019 budget) have rekindled schemes to privatise Cyta dating to 2013 as part of a wider financial bailout package.
Improved regulatory conditions, particularly in relation to network interconnection and access, has given competing operators the confidence to invest in network infrastructure, to make use of unbundled local loops and to launch competing services.
The broadband market continues to develop steadily, providing the country with one of the highest broadband penetration rates in the region. DSL remains the dominant access platform, with cable broadband restricted to a single operator, Cablenet. Although Cablenet’s network was for long concentrated in a few key towns, under the management of its majority-owner GO the company has invested in both its fixed-line and mobile networks, and its cable infrastructure now covers about 53% of premises. Fibre infrastructure in Cyprus is still in its infancy, though Cyta since mid-2018 has embarked on a significant ten-year NGN investment program which includes extending an FttP service to about 200,000 premises.
The Cypriot mobile market is served by four mobile network operators. Cyta has offered mobile services under the Cytamobile-Vodafone brand since 2004 following a partner agreement with Vodafone Group, while MTN Cyprus was once part of the international MTN Group before being acquired by Monaco Telecom in mid-2018. PrimeTel added market competition after launching services in 2015 soon after the company secured mobile spectrum licences (it had offered services as an MVNO since 2011). The cableco Cablenet, which also offered mobile services as an MVNO, launched services over its own network in mid-2017.
This report introduces the key aspects of Cyprus’s telecoms market, outlining the regulatory environment and providing updated operational and financial data on the major operators. The report also reviews the mobile voice and data segments, also covering regulatory and technology developments. In addition, the report assesses the broadband and e-commerce markets.
BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.
On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.
Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.
The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.
Cyta, PrimeTel, Multichoice, Cablenet, Cytamobile-Vodafone, MTN Cyprus, Kibris Telecom
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