The report, titled “Pyramid Perspective 2013: Top Trends in the Global Communications Industry,” asserts that growth in emerging market service revenue will outpace growth in developed market service revenue by a ratio of five-to-one.

   “[Emerging markets] reaching the 7 billion mobile subscription mark by year’s end is particularly significant because it translates into a 100 percent penetration mark,” Pyramid Research Managing Director Daniel Amparan said in a statement. “Mobile subscribers in the Africa and Middle East regions will surpass the 1 billion mark in the first quarter, making it the second region to reach this milestone after Asia-Pacific.”

   Exposure to emerging markets has become a critical factor for success in an industry characterized by stagnation in developed markets, intense competition, consumer choice and disruptive business models, according to Amparan. “While telecom service revenue in emerging markets will increase five times faster than in developed markets this year, nearly 90 percent of the 2 billion subscribers to come online in the next five years will reside in emerging market. This trend will make mobile service revenue in emerging markets in 2015 larger than mobile service revenue in developed markets for the first time ever.”