Perspective Bahjat El-Darwiche Hilal Halaoui Adel Belcaid Amr Goussous MVNOs at the Gate The Rise of Servicebased Competition in the MENA Region Contact Information Beirut Bahjat El-Darwiche Partner +961-1-985-655 [email protected] Dubai Adel Belcaid Senior Associate +971-4-390-0260 [email protected] Amr Goussous Senior Associate +971-4-390-0260 [email protected] Riyadh Hilal Halaoui Partner +966-1-249-7781 [email protected] Booz & Company EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As the mobile telecom market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region approaches maturity, with penetration rates in excess of 100 percent, the region is witnessing an increasing number of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). These entities offer mobile services to niche markets by leasing the excess capacity of existing mobile network operators (MNOs). They typically target small segments of the telecom market, with a customized value proposition that includes targeted pricing, innovative services, and an overall customer experience that resonates with the affinities of their customer base. MVNOs in other areas of the world have had an impact on the mobile telecom market, and they have the potential to do so in the MENA region as well. At this juncture in the development of the region’s telecom sector, stakeholders in the industry must understand the MVNO game, including lessons learned from other parts of the world. For MVNOs and their investors, the key success factors include a differentiated, focused value proposition; a lean cost model; an effective sales and distribution channel; and a favorable agreement with the host telecom provider. For MNOs, the challenge is to understand the competitive threat from these upstarts and decide whether and how to leverage their strengths through business alliances Booz & Company or by launching their own internal MVNOs. Finally, telecom regulators must ensure that the market remains open to service-based competitors, by policing anticompetitive behavior and incentivizing incumbent MNOs to open their networks at acceptable commercial terms, while giving consumers the widest possible range of telecom offerings. 1 KEY HIGHLIGHTS • Market dynamics in Europe show that a single market can support several dozen MVNOs, with an aggregate market share of 10 to 15 percent. • To date, the MENA region has witnessed the entry of relatively few MVNOs, but there are indications that the market is ripe for them. • Although MVNO regulation in the MENA region is not yet widespread, stakeholders can use the branded reseller model in the absence of relevant regulatory frameworks. THE MENA TELECOM MARKET IS RIPE FOR MVNOs MVNOs focus exclusively on commercial activities and rely completely on MNOs for their network and IT needs. Alternatively, a full MVNO has its own network and IT platforms; it relies on the MNO only for radio access and some elements of network routing and functionality (see Exhibit 1). An MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) is a company that provides mobile telecommunications services without having its own radio spectrum or physical network; in essence, it sells mobile services while leasing the capacity from an MNO (mobile network operator). MVNOs have multiple business models, which can be categorized according to their level of ownership of technical infrastructure and activities along the value chain. For example, branded-reseller The success of MVNOs thus far largely stems from their nimble approach—they can access markets that large mobile operators often cannot or will not (owing to a lack of interest or, sometimes, to rigid business models and organizations). MVNOs typically offer a value proposition that builds on significant research and deep behavioral understanding of their target customer segment. This allows them to deliver services that match the needs of their Exhibit 1 MVNOs Can Operate with a Range of Capabilities Along the Value Chain 1 Radio Access 2 3 Network Apps & Routing & Services Functionality 4 5 6 7 8 9 Customer Customer Customer Marketing Sales & Branding & Activation Billing Service Distribution Communication Branded Reseller Service MVNO Full MVNO MNO Activities MVNO Activities Source: Booz & Company 2 Booz & Company target segments, such as greater service accessibility, inexpensive pricing plans, international calling deals, or innovative content and applications. MVNOs’ entry into the region can catalyze the market by further stimulating SIM penetration and lowering prices. Hence, established telecom players will need to determine their strategies with regard to MVNOs. With the right parameters, both sides can win. MVNOs can thrive by developing marketing strategies and service offerings that resonate with a limited and welldefined slice of the telecom market. MNOs can create incremental gains by leveraging underused telecom capacity. However, under the wrong conditions, this symbiotic relationship can fall out of balance, resulting in an unnecessary price war that will further erode margins. To date, the MENA region has witnessed the entry of relatively few MVNOs, but there are signs that the market is ripe for them. Oman and Jordan have already issued several MVNO licenses, and virtual operators such as Friendi Group and Renna have offered commercial service since 2009. Because this is a rapidly unfolding development in the market, regulators have not yet established a means of overseeing it. As a result, MVNOs and MNOs still have wide latitude in how to structure their alliances. Some operators have partnered with wellknown players in a branded reseller business model. For instance, Friendi KSA launched in Saudi Arabia as a sub-brand of Zain. The experience of more mature markets indicates that in time, MVNOs will collectively command a reasonable market share. We have seen the proliferation of MVNOs in Europe over the past decade; some western European countries now have as many as 30 MVNOs, with an aggregate market share of 10 to 15 percent. Of course, key differences exist between the telecom markets in Europe and the Middle East. In Europe, MVNOs arrived at a much earlier stage, in some cases arriving in areas where penetration rates were as low as 50 percent. Even in the most developed European telecom market to see its first MVNO, penetration was at 118 percent, still lower than most markets in the MENA region (see Exhibit 2). Despite these differences in market maturity, the comparatively long track record of virtual operators in Europe offers some key lessons for MVNOs and their investors in the MENA region. Exhibit 2 MVNOs Entered the European Market at a Far Earlier Stage Than They Entered the MENA Region Mobile Penetration When MVNOs First Entered (Selected European Markets) Mobile Penetration When MVNOs First Entered (Selected Middle East Markets) 178% 118% 121% 104% 97% 73% Belgium Germany Holland 72% France 67% Denmark 50% Norway Saudi Arabia Oman Jordan Source: Booz & Company Booz & Company 3 KEY SUCCESS FACTORS FOR MVNOs It is important for MVNOs and their potential investors to understand the ways in which the MVNO business model differs from the traditional mobile telecom model. MVNOs in any market have four key success factors: 1. Offer a differentiated and focused value proposition. One of the key competitive advantages of MVNOs is that they have a thorough knowledge of their market segment, allowing them to cater to that segment in a far more personal, relevant way than large-scale MNOs can. The most visible example is Virgin Mobile, which operates in the U.K. and other markets and caters to the youth segment through innovative marketing and strong digital content (branded as Virgin Media). Another example is Turkcell Europe, an MVNO recently launched in Germany to cater to that country’s large Turkish expat community. The brand operates on Deutsche Telekom’s network and offers a clear advantage in international calling rates, roaming prices, Turkish content, and Turkish-speaking call centers. The company’s knowledge of the Turkish market gives it a differentiated and focused position that would be very difficult for incumbent MNOs to replicate. 4 The experience of MVNOs in Europe also clearly shows that this value proposition cannot be based solely on price. Brands that have built businesses exclusively on lower calling rates have suffered in fierce price wars. In those situations, MNOs will almost always win, given their greater financial resources and disproportionate scale. 2. Create a lean organization with a low cost structure. Because their niche market segments are small, MVNOs are not able to acquire subscribers in sufficient volume to establish economies of scale. As discussed earlier, benchmarks of the healthiest MVNO markets in western Europe indicate a maximum collective market share of 15 percent. Accordingly, successful MVNOs should aim to achieve a viable business model based on a market share of between 3 and 7 percent. Other financial metrics are correspondingly lower—whereas EBITDA margins for incumbent MNOs typically range between 35 and 45 percent, MVNOs usually see margins in the range of 10 to 20 percent. In this context, it is critical that MVNOs maintain a very lean organization with low costs. They need to Booz & Company scrutinize every element of their value chain and determine the optimal strategy for delivering these elements, including outsourcing to third parties, forming partnerships, or procuring from the host MNO. 3. Develop effective sales and distribution channels. Without a solid distribution network, even an MVNO with a loyal audience and premium content will not succeed. MVNOs must ensure that their products and services are highly visible and immediately accessible to the consumer segment they are targeting. Products such as SIM cards and recharge vouchers, as well as below-the-line marketing and merchandising efforts, must be available in the right channels. For example, consider ESPN Mobile, a much-hyped MVNO focusing on sports fans with a value proposition consisting of rich sports content at premium prices. The venture launched without a distribution network in place; ESPN did not establish partnerships with retailers, and it underestimated how difficult and time-consuming it would be to establish its own network. Because its products and services were not Booz & Company easily accessible, ESPN Mobile ultimately failed. 4. Set up a viable wholesale agreement with the host MNO. A wholesale agreement with an MNO is among the most critical success factors for MVNOs, because it has an immediate impact on the viability of the entire entity. Particularly at this stage in the market’s development, when regulators in the Middle East have yet to establish a regulatory framework for these arrangements, MVNOs must negotiate their own favorable and robust agreements with host MNOs. Terms must go far beyond pricing strategies and include clear provisions on operational aspects and quality of service, both of which affect the day-to-day ability of the MVNO to service its customers. In a nutshell, the key issues to negotiate are: • The scope of services to be rendered by the host, including transmission and signaling, activation and billing, sales and distribution, customer care, and the like organization, including points of contact, decision-making bodies, escalation procedures, change management, and emergency plans, among other elements • The pricing strategy—such as retail-minus, cost-plus, or wholesale—and the conditions under which pricing terms can be revised • The implementation plan, including service-level agreements (SLAs), monitoring and reporting of key performance indicators and other data, implementation work plan, fraud management, exchange of documentation, and training Typically, MVNOs prefer to pursue a retail-minus agreement with the MNO; that allows their cost structure to adjust as the prices drop (as they almost inevitably do over time in the mobile telecom market). However, rarely do MNOs award a retail-minus pricing agreement. More typically, they opt to charge wholesale bulk prices with a calculated margin to ensure that the MVNO does not have a significant price advantage in the market. • The cooperation process and 5 THE INCREASING ROLE OF ENABLERS AND AGGREGATORS The proliferation of MVNOs has given rise to third-party vendors known as mobile virtual network enablers (MVNEs), or, alternatively, as mobile virtual network aggregators (MVNAs). These vendors serve as a link between incumbent mobile operators and the smaller MVNOs, handling technical and other aspects of their shared-services arrangements. By working with multiple virtual operators, they can establish economies of scale on their technology platforms. This allows MVNOs to significantly reduce their operating costs and up-front investment, thereby reducing the subscriber base they need to break even. This in turn leads to further micro-segmentation in the market. Benchmarks suggest that MVNEsupported MVNOs require significantly fewer subscribers to break even on premarketing costs, when compared with an independent MVNO model. For example, Simyo, an MVNO offering no-frills mobile service in Germany and other European markets, keeps costs down by outsourcing its technology platform to an MVNE. As for incumbent operators, the MVNE model allows them to better focus on their core competencies 6 of operating a full-fledged mobile network and serving their mobile customers, while the third-party MVNE can focus on the MVNO link and serve the indirect customers. The services that MVNEs offer vary widely, but recently we have seen them provide end-to-end services, from technical aspects to sales and distribution support. This trend toward more comprehensive offerings is being driven by the presence of many brands in the market with differentiated access to specific niche segments but little or no telecom knowledge. In some cases, MVNEs proactively seek such untapped brands and offer them one-stop à la carte services from the telecom value chain, enabling an immediate “go to market” capability as a branded reseller. For instance, football clubs can potentially capitalize on the intense loyalty of their fans and provide mobile services and club-specific content and applications. These clubs would not normally seek to acquire telecom capabilities or invest in telecom infrastructure; however, an MVNE can provide them turnkey telecom services, including sales and marketing, making the approach a viable option. Booz & Company WHY MENA MNOs SHOULD EMBRACE VIRTUAL OPERATORS MVNO entry has been limited in the MENA region; only Oman and Jordan have issued MVNO licenses. In other markets, such as Saudi Arabia, some operators have embraced MVNOs through the branded reseller model. MVNOs may represent direct competition to MNOs. However, they can also complement and strengthen the MNOs’ business, under the right circumstances. Indeed, MVNOs represent a viable and strategically significant way for mobile operators to increase their subscriber base, creating value for host MNOs in several key ways. For MENA operators, MVNOs can potentially play a key role in further penetrating key underserved segments, such as youth, expatriates, and small and medium-sized enterprises— segments that full-fledged operators in the MENA region sometimes struggle to adequately serve. MNOs tend to approach such segments with generic offerings that do not resonate strongly with the target audiences, because such segments are typically too small to justify tailored products and services. The lean and agile business model of the MVNO, however, allows highly focused targeting. Booz & Company For example, the MENA population has been growing at an average of 2.5 percent for the past five years, driven primarily by youth: 61 percent of the population is below the age of 30. In any single market, the youth segment is very diverse, and its communication requirements vary significantly. Nonetheless, MNOs tend to treat the entire youth population as a single segment, providing offerings focused on competitive pricing and youth branding. But smart operators can, for example, partner with an MVNO that has digital rights to online music in order to target niche teen segments with an offer of easy access to a rich and up-to-date directory of online Arabic and Western music. Although this proposition will not appeal to the entire youth segment, it will lock in a small subsegment that places great emphasis on digital music. Alternatively, an MNO can aim to partner with an MVNO that specifically targets one subsegment of expatriates by offering customer care in their own language or providing remittance services and discounted international minutes to their home market. MerchanTrade Inc., an MVNO in Malaysia that caters to the 7 expatriate community, offers a good example of this approach. Its mobile remittance service allows subscribers to transfer money within its partner bank network in less than five minutes, at a fraction of the cost of other services. MNOs may look at typical MVNO offerings and judge them as being so simple that the MNO will not require an MVNO partner to execute those offerings. More than the offerings themselves, however, what MVNOs bring to the table is the ability to focus relentlessly on a particular segment, giving it a level of attention that MNOs cannot afford to bring to any single group, particularly if it is small. In addition to complementing MNOs’ marketing efforts, MVNOs allow them to run their networks at full strength by leasing out underused capacity on a wholesale basis. The result is better network efficiency for the MNO, and a better return on its infrastructure investment. 8 Early experience from more developed markets shows that it can be difficult for MNOs to strike the right balance with their MVNO partners. In Denmark, for example, an MVNO called Telmore A/S—one of the first in the world—was so successful that it took significant market share from TDC Mobile International A/S, its host operator, before ultimately being acquired by it. However, lessons from the past decade will likely prevent this pattern from occurring again and ensure that the relationship between MVNOs and host MNOs creates value for both sides. In particular, MNOs should be proactive about developing their MVNO-hosting business and move quickly to sign up partners with strong brand equity, exploiting the inherent firstmover advantage. To ensure they derive the greatest benefit from these partnerships, MNOs should proactively build their MVNO strategy on the following three pillars: 1. Seek complementary positioning. An MNO should identify strategic niche segments that it is unable to target directly, and partner with MVNOs to meet their needs. These partnerships should enhance the MNO’s own market position to avoid erosion of market share and profitability. 2. Ensure that the MVNO can deliver. In choosing an MVNO partner, it is critical to ensure that the MVNO has created a sustainable and differentiated business model that offers value to the target segment and does not compete solely on price, which would cut into margins in the long term. 3. Build a win-win partnership. MNOs should invest in their MVNO partners’ success: Because the viability of the MVNO business model depends largely on the wholesale agreement and SLA with the host operator, MNOs should provide services and bandwidth under reasonable terms to let the MVNO invest in its commercial efforts and effectively serve its intended targets. Booz & Company Case Study: Germany’s E-Plus Adopts an MVNO Strategy Several years ago E-Plus Inc., a German MNO that launched in 1993, was facing the perils of a mature telecom market. Although the number of subscribers in the overall German market grew 11 percent between 2002 and 2005, the market share for E-Plus grew just 4 percent. Over that same time period, the company’s EBITDA margin declined from 32 percent to 24 percent. The company’s market position was being eroded by the increasing competitiveness of O2 (a telecom brand in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, and several other regions) and by the continuing dominance of T-Mobile and Vodafone, both of which were larger than E-Plus in its home market. The market was near saturation and offered little traditional growth potential. In response, E-Plus transformed itself in 2005 from a single one-size-fits-all service provider into a collection of brands, each targeting a specific microsegment in the German market. These brands included: • Base, the first flat-rate mobile brand on the German market, aimed at customers seeking a simple plan • Simyo, a prepaid-services MVNO for cost-conscious consumers • Ay Yildiz, the first mobile brand tailored to Germany’s Turkish community • vybemobile, a brand for German youth, which combined low costs with free music downloads E-Plus did not limit this strategy to developing its own brands. Rather, the company actively sought to host and partner with various brands and resellers in the market. By 2009, it had partnered with and launched 34 different MVNOs in the German market. Throughout this period, E-Plus improved its retail presence in the market, both organically (by opening its own retail shops) and inorganically (by acquiring other brands with a retail presence). By 2008, the company had opened more than 300 locations, and that year it acquired specialist dealer SMS Michel and mobile phone discounter Blau Mobilfunk, giving it a comprehensive retail footprint across Germany of more than 650 stores. The results of this transformation have been striking. E-Plus’s subscriber base grew by 18 percent between 2005 and 2008, even as its EBITDA margin grew from 24 percent to 39 percent. For the past six years, E-Plus has been the only MNO in Germany with increasing market share. The company’s strategy also hampered the growth of O2, which saw declining market share growth after 2006. The embrace of MVNOs also allowed E-Plus to lower its subscriber acquisition costs, which declined 64 percent from 2005 to 2008. MNOs can pay lower subsidies to new subscribers, while sharing marketing and other costs, and MVNOs can leverage their distribution channels to reach consumers within the target market more efficiently. The bottom line? In a highly competitive German telecom market, E-Plus adopted an MVNO strategy to put itself back on track. Booz & Company 9 THE NEED FOR ADEQUATE REGULATION Regulators have a key role to play in the growth of MVNOs. After a first wave of market liberalization, in which alternative operators begin competing with the historical incumbent using their own spectrum and infrastructure, MVNOs can enter in a second wave—ensuring greater competition and consumer choice in their markets, which is attractive for regulators. Another reason MVNOs appeal to regulators is that MVNO regulation is relatively simple, relying to a large extent on market forces— unlike the regulation of alternative MNOs, which is complex and driven primarily by the scarcity of spectrum, the substantial capital-intensive costs involved, and the fundamental impact that telecommunications have on the economic and social fabric of any market. Several considerations will help ensure a healthy and sustainable MVNO industry. 10 First, regulators must determine the best time to introduce MVNOs in their markets. Optimal timing depends primarily on the level of market saturation, as measured by mobile penetration, and the level of market concentration, as measured by the distribution of existing players’ share in a given market. Another consideration is the grace period, de facto or stipulated in the spectrum license, from which alternative MNOs typically benefit in the first few years of operation. The grace period allows them to build a reasonable ROI on their substantial spectrum and network expenditures. Although there are no general rules on the saturation and concentration thresholds that a regulator should designate as the triggers to open their markets to service-based competition, introducing MVNOs too early might upset incumbent MNOs and might not yield the desired boost to competition. Conversely, regulators Booz & Company that hesitate too long before authorizing MVNOs might turn out to be waiting in vain, because MNOs can always preempt MVNO regulation and launch their own MVNOs as sub-brands or in partnership with leading global brands. Once regulators make the decision to enable MVNOs, they should tackle the licensing framework. The framework might be comprehensive—restrictive by design and akin to those used for MNOs—or it might be a simple resale framework, placed entirely in the realm of a commercial agreement, under virtually no regulatory guidelines. The former is likely to lead to advanced MVNOs with strong financial and operational backing, whereas the latter will open the door for smaller MVNOs of various types. In the latter case, regulators may opt to focus on the regulation of MVNEs, and leave the MVNE–MVNO relationship governance to commercial agreements. Regulators will also have to address the retail aspect of MVNOs to ensure fair and non-abusive competition among all players in the market. MNOs and MVNOs through the pricing and wholesale negotiations process, including technical aspects such as quality of service and mobile number portability. This is to ensure expedited and fair compensation for both sides. In general, regulators should limit these rules to those that standardize large-scale consumer preferences and ensure a competitive market overall. Further details of the MNO–MVNO relationship should be left to the commercial agreement between the two sides. Finally, regulators must put in place a supportive framework to guide Regulators must put in place a supportive framework to guide MNOs and MVNOs through the pricing and wholesale negotiations process. Booz & Company 11 Conclusion 12 The entry of MVNOs into the MENA region has begun. MVNO proliferation is inevitable, and it will trigger major changes in the telecom sector. Fundamentally, the rise of service-based competition in MENA telecom markets is associated with a unique set of challenges that incumbents, investors, and regulators should make an urgent effort to understand and plan for. However, the underlying opportunities are equally significant, promising to revive a rapidly saturating telecom industry. Consumers, in particular, stand to benefit significantly from improved choice and a better user experience. All key stakeholders in the MVNO game have strategic choices to make in how they respond to the rise of these players in the market, and they can benefit from other regions’ experience. MVNOs must articulate a clear value proposition to reach their target consumers in new and compelling ways. MNOs must look at partnerships with MVNOs as an opportunity to revive their business, and seek the most promising MVNO candidates before their competitors do. And regulators should play their role to facilitate service-based competition in their markets, while meeting the needs of both existing players and new entrants. Booz & Company About the Authors Bahjat El-Darwiche is a partner with Booz & Company in Beirut. He specializes in communications, media, and technology and has led engagements in the areas of telecom-sector liberalization and growth strategy development, policymaking and regulatory management, business development and strategic investments, corporate and business planning, and privatization and restructuring. Hilal Halaoui is a partner with Booz & Company in Riyadh. He specializes in information and communications technologies and has extensive experience in marketing, business planning, technology planning, product development, sales strategies, and customer experience strategies. Booz & Company Adel Belcaid is a senior associate with Booz & Company in Dubai. He specializes in corporate and market-facing strategies for telecommunications operators and media publishers, including strategic and business planning, sales and marketing, convergence strategies, MVNOs/MVNEs, product management, and organizational design. Amr Goussous is a senior associate with Booz & Company in Dubai. He specializes in globalization, growth strategies, mergers and acquisitions, investment portfolio assessments, new business models, MVNOs and MVNEs, and partnerships and alliances within the telecommunications sector. 13 The most recent list of our offices and affiliates, with addresses and telephone numbers, can be found on our website, booz.com. Worldwide Offices Asia Beijing Delhi Hong Kong Mumbai Seoul Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia Auckland Bangkok Brisbane Canberra Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Melbourne Sydney Europe Amsterdam Berlin Copenhagen Dublin Düsseldorf Frankfurt Booz & Company is a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world’s top businesses, governments, and organizations. Our founder, Edwin Booz, defined the profession when he established the first management consulting firm in 1914. 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