Telecom
Smartphones Shipment Volumes Decline by 0.5% in 2017, but Growth Expected to Return in 2018 – IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, shows that, worldwide Smartphone shipments declined by 0.5% in 2017, the first year-over-year decline the market has experienced since the introduction of what we now know as smartphones.
Smartphone companies shipped a total of 1.46 billion devices in 2017 with nearly all of that volume running either the Android or iOS platforms.
Looking forward, IDC expects shipment volumes to return to low single-digit growth in 2018 and the overall market to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8% over the 2017-2022 forecast period with volumes forecast to reach 1.68 billion units in 2022.
Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, said “2017 turned out to be the year we all knew would eventually come – when smartphone volumes finally experienced a contraction.”
“That fact that China alone declined almost 5% in 2017 was a huge factor for why global volumes fell, but EMEA also declined 3.5%, and the U.S. market was flat.
“In our opinion, areas for growth have not changed. Developing markets still have plenty of room for build out, led by first-time buyers.
“And the premium space will continue to represent roughly 20% of the market. However, competition will continue to tighten and consolidation is inevitable.”
Design innovation continues to be a focal point of the industry, yet technology advances are becoming less about tangible hardware aesthetics and more about components and software.
This shift makes differentiation a challenge, especially as the entire industry is sprinting towards bigger screens and smaller bezels.
IDC expects 2018 to be the year when phablets outship regular smartphones, essentially ending the race for bigger screens.
Big differences in quality and display type still exist, but the average consumer will continue to struggle to understand these differences.
So, what’s next? 5G momentum is in full swing and device OEMs, component suppliers, telcos, and services companies are all looking to capitalize.
IDC expects commercial 5G smartphones to hit the market in 2019, ramping up to account for roughly 18% of worldwide shipments by 2022.
Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said“ To keep up with the increasing demand for the new AI, AR/VR, contextually aware, and 5G functionalities headed to the market, we expect growth to come from improvements in overall core functions in the near term,”
“Improvements in speed, power, battery life, and general performance will be critical in driving growth at a worldwide level as the smartphone evolves into a true all-in-one tool.
“Although these types of improvements seem to arrive each year, delivering it more affordably will carry even greater significance to consumers as many highly competitive emerging markets remain crucial in driving growth throughout the forecast period.”
Platform Highlights shows that android Volumes were essentially flat in 2017, with OEMs shipping a total of 1.24 billion handsets running Google’s OS.
After years of vendors customizing Android’s OS to put their UI spin on things, we are finally hitting a point where everyone is pivoting back to stock Android.
This is an initiative that Google has been pushing for quite some time as the standardization on software can bring faster updates, minimize consumer confusion, and potentially allow Google to gain back some control of the platform.
The biggest change for Android devices in 2017 was that average selling prices (ASPs) grew for the first time since 2010.
This is largely due to the low-end players migrating their portfolios upstream toward mid-tier pricing.
Consumers have gone along with this trend, although many low-end buyers have grown increasingly frustrated with the poor battery and performance issues experienced on the device after just months of use.
iOS: Coming off of the first year-over-year decline in iPhone shipments in 2016, Apple returned to growth in 2017 albeit only 0.2%.
Apple shipped 215.8 million iPhones in 2017 with 64% of those coming from ‘Plus’-size iPhones (including the X).
The shift to bigger, more expensive devices has allowed Apple to continue to grow its ASPs while simlutaneously facing the challenges of growing its shipment volumes.
IDC expects iPhone shipments to grow 3.7% to 223.8 million units in 2018 and reaching 242.4 million in 2022.
Overall iPhone volumes are expected to grow at a five-year CAGR of 2.4%. Apple will continue to experience challenges breaking into some of the remaining high-growth developing markets, but there is no question they are far from being pushed out of the premium market segment.
Apple continues to build out its device upgrade program, a move IDC believes could be a catalyst to support growth over the next five years.
Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has won the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize for its project, the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP), under Category C3, which is on Access to Information and Knowledge.
L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission’s Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.
The DAP, one of hundreds of projects submitted for the WSIS Prizes competition 2025, received the highest number of votes in its category, earning it the top honour. The programme equips secondary schools across the country with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and provide internet connectivity to support teaching, learning, and research. Since inception in 2006, over 300 schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones have benefitted from the programme.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, received the award during the WSIS Prizes Winners 2025 Ceremony held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Maida thanked the hosts, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and WSIS, for recognising Nigeria’s efforts in promoting inclusive digital access across Nigeria, noting that the award would serve as further motivation for the Commission.
“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts—it is an encouragement to press forward. It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage,” Dr. Maida said.
Four other Nigerian projects—the Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) under Capacity Building, the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment, and the Digital Learning Initiative under e-Learning—were also celebrated for their nomination for the Champions Category of Projects at the WSIS Prizes Ceremony. Although they were not among the top-voted entries, they were acknowledged for their significant merit and impact.
The WSIS Prizes competition recognises and promotes projects that effectively leverage ICTs to advance sustainable development. The competition showcases how technology can serve as a powerful tool for addressing global challenges and achieving the SDGs. Projects from around the world are recognised annually, highlighting diverse approaches to building an inclusive information society.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a United Nations (UN) initiative aimed at building a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society. It provides a multi-stakeholder platform to address issues related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their role in achieving sustainable development.
The Forum is an annual event that brings together high-level representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and international organisations. It serves as a global platform for implementing the WSIS Action Lines, which are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecom tower operators in the country August 2025 deadline to fix persistent network hitches in their facilities or face regulatory sanctions.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, reportedly gave the ultimatum during a high-level meeting with key industry players, attended by representatives of IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers, and mobile network operators (MNOs) in Abuja
According to sources, discussions at the meeting focused on the recurring challenges in the telecoms sector, particularly power failures, equipment malfunctions, and insufficient site maintenance, that have been causing poor Internet and call services in the country
Specifically, Maida tasked the tower operators on the imperative of complying with the NCC’s updated Quality of Service (QoS) framework, which now extends performance obligations to infrastructure providers, not just telecom service providers.
According to him, the timeline given by the commission is more than enough time for all parties to align with the performance standards expected of them.
Recently, to ensure compliance with the standards, the NCC introduced a Major Incident Reporting Portal for real-time outage disclosures; developed public performance dashboards to enhance transparency; mandated that telecom tower companies meet strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Although the tower operators had previously cited delayed payments from MNOs as a reason for service lapses, the NCC had dismissed the justification, insisting that all parties must meet their obligations.
The EVC maintained: “Operators must fulfill both their technical and financial responsibilities. Poor service delivery—regardless of internal disputes—will attract consequences.”
Available data on the telecom tower infrastructure shows that IHS Towers has the largest assets with 16,000–19,000 sites, (62% market share); compared to American Tower Corp’s (ATC’s) about 8,270 towers; and Pan-African Towers’ 760–1,000 sites nationwide.
The latest NCC’s August deadline is believed to be putting pressures on the tower operators to improve the quality of their facilities for improved services as the commission had hinted of its plan to sanction defaulting operators with fines or stricter regulatory actions.
Industry experts believe that the NCC’s directive is a welcomed development as it will ensure reliable Internet connectivity and improved services quality for telecom consumers in the country.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to play a pivotal role at the upcoming 6th edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 6.0), where it will lead a critical discussion on the sustainable growth of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
Set against a backdrop of innovation and opportunity, this forum, organized by Business Remarks, aptly themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s MVNO Potential: Status, Trends, Investment, and Future Prospects,” is scheduled for August 26, 2025. This event reinforces the nation’s commitment to fostering a robust, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications landscape.
The forum will bring together a diverse array of key stakeholders from across the telecom ecosystem to deliberate on strategies for integrating MVNOs effectively into Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy. With the recent advancements in technology and the issuance of 43 MVNO licenses to new players, MVNOs are poised to significantly enhance service delivery, drive digital transformation, penetrate underserved markets, and stimulate healthy competition across the sector.
As the global MVNO market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating continued expansion, experts believe that with the right regulatory environment and access to infrastructure, emerging markets like Nigeria can leverage MVNOs to unlock new value for both operators (by utilizing excess network capacity) and customers. Customers can enjoy a rich array of niche value-added services tailored to their needs.
Having been proactive in introducing a five-tier MVNO licensing classification, each with distinct services and a 10-year validity period, signaling a clear path for new entrants, the telecom regulator (NCC) will deliver a keynote address outlining the Commission’s regulatory framework, interventions, and commitment to ensuring a conducive environment for MVNO operations.
Mrs. Bukola Olanrewaju, Convener of the forum and Managing Editor of Business Remarks, emphasized the importance of collaboration. “TSSF 6.0 is designed to be a melting pot of ideas, bringing together Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), MVNOs, telecoms infrastructure providers, Internet Service Providers, industry associations, and technology experts,” she said.
“Our goal is to ignite discussions that will shape the future of MVNOs in Nigeria, ensuring their sustainable growth and their critical role in extending digital prosperity across the nation.”
The forum will feature interactive sessions, thought-provoking panel discussions, insightful paper presentations, and abundant networking opportunities. This event aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to share insights, address challenges, and explore collaborative pathways for sustainable growth.
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