WASHINGTON-The Asia-Pacific paging market is expected to expand from 87 million subscribers at year-end 1997 to more than 168 million in 2002, according to a new study, “Asia-Pacific Paging Markets: 1998,” from The Strategis Group. Contributing to the rapid growth, said the company, are the expansion of current paging systems, aggressive rollout of FLEX networks and declining service prices in the region.
China continues to be the “primary engine of growth” for the Asia-Pacific’s paging industry, with 121 million users-71 percent of total subscribers in the region, said Strategis. Second-largest market South Korea accounts for 12 percent of the subscribers, while rounding out the top five are Taiwan, 4 percent; Japan, 4 percent; and Thailand, 3 percent.
“The Strategis Group expects China to continue along an aggressive growth base,” the study said. “South Korea, Taiwan, India and Thailand also are projected to make positive contributions to the region’s growth. Conversely, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia are projected to experience negative growth from 1998-2002.”
Strategis reported that Japan lost 2.7 million subscribers in 1997, a decrease attributed to the growth of Personal Handy-phone System services in that country.
Expansion of FLEX systems in several markets and initiation of FLEX service in other countries also will contribute to paging growth, according to the report.
By year-end 1997, nearly every major country in the Asia-Pacific region had adopted the FLEX high-speed paging protocol, with at least one FLEX network in operation. By 2002, The Strategis Group projects, approximately 47 million or 28 percent of all subscribers will be on FLEX paging systems. This compares with 8 million, or 10 percent, in 1997.
The study also projects that pager-equipment sales will increase from 32 million units sold in 1998 to 37 million in 2002. FLEX pager sales are expected to double their share of annual unit sales from 1998 to 2002-from 20 percent to 40 percent of total annual unit sales.
By 2002, China, Taiwan, South Korea and India will account for the “vast majority” of FLEX pagers sold, concluded Strategis.
